School District 73 (Kamloops-Thompson) has welcomed a new group of students eager to explore health-care careers into its Health Sciences Academy (HSA).
A partnership between School District 73, Thompson Rivers University (TRU) and Interior Health (IH), HSA offers high school students a one-of-a-kind opportunity to blend academics with real-world experience. Students earn both high school credits and a psychology course dual-credit through TRU, while participating in career exploration placements with IH.
Related Stories@IH: Academy ignites high school students’ passion for health careers
Uncovering strengths and skills
The Academy kicked off on September 24 with an action-filled orientation day. Tours and presentations were held at Overlander Long-Term Care, Ponderosa Lodge and Royal Inland Hospital (RIH). Students were introduced to the health-care sites and teams they’ll be learning from this semester.
At Overlander, students learned about the team’s guiding philosophy of being G.R.E.A.T.: Greeting, Respect, Empathy, Appreciation and Trust. These values capture the spirit of kindness and connection that define the care provided by the Overlander team every day.
“Greatness lies within each and every one of us—we just have to discover it,” said David Haastrup, manager of Clinical Operations at Overlander.
“For these students, the Health Sciences Academy is an opportunity to not only explore health-care careers but also uncover strengths and skills in themselves they may not have realized before. It’s a very exciting and important initiative,” David adds.
At the next stop, Ponderosa Lodge, students were encouraged to focus on communication, build meaningful relationships with residents, and embrace every opportunity to learn from those around them.
At RIH, director Josh Sharp and staff educator Michelle Mansus gave a warm welcome to the group of students. IH educators then led guided tours through various hospital departments. The tours helped students get familiar with the environment and comfortable navigating the site before starting their weekly career exploration experiences on October 8.
We’re so grateful to the many Interior Health employees who support the HSA program. By sharing their skills and passion for health care, they’re helping to inspire the next generation of professionals.
Learn more about HAS and Career Exploration with IH
We provide career exploration job shadow experiences for grade 10, 11 and 12 students, as well as high school and post-secondary students and community members. For questions about Career Explorations, email the recruitment team at CareerExploration@InteriorHealth.ca.
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