A group of post-secondary students is giving Kitimat youth an inside look at what a future in health care might hold, part of a travelling roadshow visiting schools across the northwest this week.
“We’re trying to show students what’s possible and what’s out there in the world of health care,” said one of the UBC Northern Medical Program students leading the effort from its base at the University of Northern British Columbia.
The Healthcare Travelling Roadshow stopped in Terrace on May 5 and is continuing through Kitimat, the Nass Valley and Lax Kw’alaams. At each stop, high school students meet face-to-face with students training in fields such as dental hygiene, cardiology technology, medical laboratory science, radiography technology, medicine, midwifery, nursing (LPN and RN), occupational therapy and speech language pathology.
At Caledonia Secondary in Terrace, students were offered hands-on demonstrations and informal conversations with health care trainees, many of whom come from rural backgrounds themselves. That approach is designed to make the professions relatable while addressing long-standing shortages in rural and remote health services.
The roadshow’s philosophy is simple: exposing students in smaller communities to these careers may encourage them to pursue training and eventually return to work in those regions. Participating students, meanwhile, gain exposure to the needs and opportunities of smaller towns across British Columbia.
Launched in 2010 by Dr. Sean Maurice with the UBC Northern Medical Program, the roadshow has now reached more than 12,000 students in 68 communities. It was built as a grassroots response to workforce shortages and has since expanded to include regional trips throughout northern and interior B.C.
The project is supported by a partnership that includes the Northern Medical Programs Trust, the Rural Education Action Plan, Interior Health, UNBC, and the UBC Faculty of Medicine.
