Inspiring students to consider pursuing a path in medicine means introducing them sooner rather than later to a sneak peak at the wide variety of skills involved in being a health-care professional, says a member of the Sundre Healthcare Professionals Attraction and Retention Committee.
That is why for the second year in a row, the committee has worked with partners to host a skills event at the Sundre Hospital and Care Centre in conjunction with the recognition of National Nursing Week, said Gerald Ingeveld.
Approximately 50 students from Sundre and Cremona were at the hospital on Monday, May 7, where they got a glimpse at six stations such as administering an IV or injection, suturing, chair-lifting patients, running a tube down a mannequin’s airway, as well as an ambulatory emergency first response.
Among them were Sundre High School students Amos Gallup, Grade 10, and Keanna Kyncl, Grade 9.
“It was a really good experience — definitely pushed me in the right direction of where I want to be,” said Gallup during an interview, adding he hopes to train to become an EMR, EMT and perhaps eventually become a professional firefighter.
Having attended last year’s skills event as well, Gallup said this time around he most enjoyed the opportunity to get a tour of an ambulance, which was new to the demonstrations.
“It’s the field I want to go into,” he said, adding his post-secondary plans include enrolling at Lakeland College to obtain his credentials as an emergency responder.
Although he really enjoyed the skills event, Gallup said there is a world of difference between the controlled setting in a training environment and the unpredictable nature of an unfolding emergency.
“A lot of people think they’re going to be able to handle it, but the truth is you don’t know until you’re actually put into the position to make two-second decisions — sometimes life and death.”
The student said he likes to think he would be able to handle such pressure, and therefore wants to pursue training to see where that path leads him.
“It’s definitely exciting — that’s what I like about it,” he said, adding every day is always different for medical first responders.
Kyncl said from an early age she has desired to become a registered nurse, and that the skills event taught her a lot about procedures such as administering an IV, which was one of her favourite stations.
Like Gallup, she also enjoyed the tour of the ambulance and thought about the possibility of becoming a paramedic, but has reservations about handling high stress, split-second decisions. So her sights for now remain fixed on a nursing career.
“I want to work with children,” she said, expressing a desire to perhaps one day work at a children’s hospital.
Ingeveld said the nursing skills event is important for three main reasons.
First of all, young people who are starting to make plans for future career options do not always have the opportunity to experience what health-care workers do, he said.
“This gives them a little taste of that,” he said.
“The only chance students have to go in to a hospital and learn about what the profession is like is on days like this.”
Secondly, such programs also make students more aware about some of the potential grants and scholarships that are available to help them obtain the education and training required to become a health- care professional, he said.
Thirdly, Ingeveld said he believes the most ideal candidates to provide health-care services in a small town like Sundre come from a small community.
“I’m prejudiced, because I am rural born and raised,” he candidly confessed, nevertheless remaining firm in his position that efforts should be focused on the goal to “grow your own.”
The Sundre Healthcare Professionals Attraction and Retention Committee partnered with the Rural Health Professions Action Plan and Alberta Health Services to host the nursing skills event. Visit www.rhpap.ca/skillsevents for more information on similar events.
Ingeveld said there was an increased focus on younger students this year because there is a better chance of influencing their future career interests since those who are closer to graduation often already have a post-secondary path in mind.
He not only plans to continue being involved in the effort to make available the program in future years, but also hopes to expand the event to include students from other schools such as Caroline and Spruce View as well as perhaps home-schooled youths.
While the partnership among the different organizations is important in preparing the event, Ingeveld also praised the commitment of the many health-care professionals — such as nurses and paramedics — who volunteered their time to introduce and hopefully inspire students to pursue a career in medicine.
