HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2009-09-02, Page 8Page 8 Th. Huron Expositor • September 2, 2009
News
Healthkick's rural summer work placements give 13 students a
chance to experience healthcare jobs In Huron, Perth and Bruce
Susau Hulk di, rtm.ask
41111011111111110
As she returns to school this fall
to complete her Masters in neurop-
sychology, Jessica Alber says her
summer placement with the Huron
community family health team in
Seaforth has reinforced her career
goals.
"Working with the social worker
and the psychologist in the family
health team let me build on my pre-
vious knowledge and it reassured
me that this is what I really want to
do," says Alber, who helped create a
memory clinic for the early detection
of cognitive decline and a baseline
screening for seniors.
Alber, who also worked as sum-
mer programs leader for Healthkick,
helping to oversee the 13 rural sum-
mer work placements throughout
Huron, Perth and Bruce Counties,
says the opportunity has also influ-
enced her to. include the possibility
of working in a rural setting.
"Being exposed to rural healthcare
is very important since there's• a se-
rious shortage of healthcare profes-
sionals," she says, adding that her
placement also allowed her to learn
about the experiences of the rest of
the students in rural placements.
"When I look back on my under-
graduate training, I wish the oppor-
tunity had been there for me because
students are receiving a unique op-
portunity here. This is the only proj-
ect of its kind," says Alber.
She says many of the employers al-
lowed their students to explore their
interests within the placement.
"The employers were really com-
mitted to student development and
gave above and beyond," she says.
For example, she says the first
submitted photo
Michaela MacGinty, student RN gets the opportunity to take a patient's blood
pressure at Alexardra Marine and General Hospital in Goderich during her rural
summer work placement, a program offered through Healthkick.
year nursing student and speech
language pathology student who
were placed for the summer at Alex-
andra and Marine General Hospital
in Goderich were shown each part of
the hospital and how the operations
came together as a whole.
"They got to apply their skills but
they also got to understand how the
whole system works," she says.
While Rosie Grobbink, program
assistant at Healthkick, has been
working summers for Healthkick
since 2007, she says the placement
has changed her career • goal from
family physician to naturopathic
doctor.
She says working with Huron Perth
Healthcare Alliance recruiter Gwen
Devereaux for a summer as well as
planning two MedQuest camps has
allow$:her, to understand the struc-
qYfft.T:"1i1'.�. f. A�#A#4 9Y'''( 'W4\'t
iiey- 'i i ey uneral ome
87 Goderich St. W., Seaforth 519-527-1.390
Ross W. Ribey - Funeral Director
ww.wh the ribe f it erallioin+ .co n
O* r
ture of the healthcare system.
"I decided I really wanted to be
involved in the preventative part of
healthcare and as a naturopath, you
have the opportunity to do a lot of
prevention," she says.
Through Healthkick, Grobbink also
had the opportunity to job shadow
a naturopath in Lucknow and saw
how acupuncture can ease chronic
pain and how lifestyle counselling
can help improve health.
-"Naturopathy involves a lot of nu-
tritional counselling and that has
such a big effect on how the body
works. I see the experience as a shift
in my thinking - I've just learned
more about myself and my values,"
she says.
At the Epilepsy Huron -Perth office
in Seaforth, Jenna Weber, of _ Tavis-
tock worked for executive director
Lynne Armstrong for three months,
helping to survey the Clinton family
health team to identify people with
epilepsy who could benefit from the
organization's services.
"It was an amazing survey and she
did it from start to finish. She's set
us up with a format to copy when
we go to other family health teams.
She was an amazing student and she
saved us so much work," says Arm-
strong.
This summer was the first time
rural healthcare placements were
offered outside of Huron County.
And, similar to the last few years,
they were offered in a variety of set-
tings, including pharmacies, nursing
homes, hospitals and health units.
There were a total of 94 applicants
for the 13 positions this summer and
Albers says the numbers of available
positions will increase over the next
two years to 17 next summer and 20
the following summer.
"We're hoping to expand the sup-
port for the program in the future
because we're getting excellent feed-
back from students who are able to
apply their knowledge and skills in
their placements. Some of the stu-
dents are telling us they'll be leaps
and bounds ahead of their class-
mates when they go back to school
after theirplacements," she says.
Albers adds that the benefit to
the employers is the opportunity to
showcase what rural healthcare has
to offer as a career. .
"Of course, the ultimate goal is
recruitment and demonstrating the
benefits of working here. We hope
they'll be back," says Albers of the
students who participated.
p ` 1 fQ lU:jt.4:
4:11,4`i K• t.ri, ...: .:141;11 1