Why you should consider a career in health care
Explore this page
Frequently asked questions
Does Interior Health hire high school students?
Yes! All our job vacancies specify the qualifications and experience required. Here are some opportunities that are open to applicants with a grade 10 education:
- Health Career Access (HCA) Program
- HCA paid opportunities
- Support Services opportunities
- Minor Test Shopper opportunities
Can I come for a tour or job shadow?
We want to support meaningful experiences to help you understand opportunities and career paths available. We are open to considering tour and job shadow requests from students attending high school located in an Interior Health community. Please email careerexploration@interiorhealth.ca.
Can high school students volunteer at Interior Health?
Absolutely! Volunteering at Interior Health is a great way to explore career and education options, while giving back to your community. A minimum of 30 hours of paid, volunteer or community service is a graduation requirement for all B.C. secondary students.
Do I need a post-secondary education or a degree to work in health care?
This would depend on the specific position. Many professions in health care require degree-level education. However, there are lots more that do not. Depending on the occupation, you may need a specific certificate or diploma. Some need no formal post-secondary education at all.
Check out our list of careers and education requirements:
Health Care Education Pathways
More resources
Education Planner B.C. allows you to compare all post-secondary programs available in B.C.
Post-Secondary B.C. provides information on B.C.s post-secondary options and facilitates info sessions and presentations.
Student Aid B.C. offers information on loans, grants, scholarships and other financial supports available for B.C. residents.
Student Awards is a database of Canadian scholarships searchable by province, school, award value and more.
What are health-care dual credit programs?
Post-secondary institutions like Okanagan College and Thompson Rivers University have partnerships with school districts to offer dual credit programs for in-demand health care careers such as health-care assistant, nursing unit assistant, medical lab assistant and medical device reprocessing programs. There is also an opportunity to do individual academic dual credit courses at various post-secondary institutions in BC.
Dual credit programs allow students with a keen interest in health-care careers to gain credits towards high school graduation, while also earning post-secondary credits or credentials.
Please visit your school district website or connect with your school career counsellor for more information on health care dual credit programs and academic dual credit courses available to you.
Where can I find out more about health-care careers?
The Interior Health Career viewbook is an excellent resource for learning about the different career opportunities we offer and the education requirements for each position.
Visit our YouTube channel to watch a variety of career videos featuring Interior Health employees.
Explore more than 500 different career profiles to find job expectations, education requirements and salary information.
WorkBC Career Trek is a series of short interviews with 174 different professionals across B.C.
I want to know more!
Please connect with your school career counsellor about health-care careers and education pathways. You can also email us careers@interiorhealth.ca.
We recognize the incredible potential of young people across IH and are taking innovative steps to pave the way for a new generation of health-care professionals.
Curriculum support
Our Career Exploration team wants to partner with your school community to promote careers in health care. Below is a menu of offerings that our team can provide.
Grades K-7
- Spotlight speaker - general presentation on health care careers or have a guest speaker for a specific field.
- Activity sheets
Grade 8-9
- Download/view our Career Viewbook for a detailed overview of career paths within IH
- Take Our Kids to Work Day (grade 9 only)
- Spotlight speaker – general presentation on health care careers or have a guest speaker for a specific field
- IH Facility Tour
Grades 10-12
- Download/view our Career Viewbook for a detailed overview of career paths within IH
- Spotlight speaker - general presentation on health care careers or have a guest speaker for a specific field.
- IH Facility Tour
- IH Career Exploration Job Shadow experiences (2-4 hours)
- Participation at school Dual Credit & Career events
- Career Life Connections 12 Capstone Project – the team can connect students with a mentor for the project
- IH Youth Volunteer Services program
- Partnership in developing district specific career exploration project/initiative
3 Minute Read
Community & Culture
Tanis loves bringing people together in meaningful ways. She helps others use their skills, time and compassion to make a positive difference.
/stories/we-are-ih-volunteer-coordinator-builds-relationships-community
2 Minute Read
Research & Innovation
At IH, there’s an opportunity for medical staff to advance their careers through the NAVIG8 Emerging Medical Leaders Program.
/stories/how-interior-health-building-community-medical-leaders
4 Minute Read
Community & Culture
Health Sciences Academy is a unique program that gives students an up-close look at health-care careers and an opportunity to learn from professionals.
/stories/kamloops-student-health-care-program-celebrates-milestone
3 Minute Read
Community & Culture
In the early years of life, particularly from birth to five years old, a child’s social and emotional development is just as vital as their physical growth.
/stories/feelings-first-program-helps-parents-raise-healthy-children
5 Minute Read
Community & Culture
Sarah has dedicated most of her nursing career to serving families within the area, building relationships rooted in trust, humility, and deep respect.
/stories/we-are-ih-celebrating-full-circle-journey-health-care
4 Minute Read
Health & Wellness
Experts say creating a community that supports people living with dementia creates safer spaces for people of all ages and abilities.
/stories/vernon-and-ih-partner-create-dementia-friendly-community
STAY CONNECTED
Receive news, alerts, public service announcements and articles right to your inbox.
Top