Health Career Camps – Southern Alberta

The Cause

The Health Sciences Career Academy is holding health career camps in August 2018 for grade 10 to 12 students. CAREERS: The Next Generation and Alberta Health Services (AHS) have partnered with local post-secondary institutions to offer an interactive, educational and unique summer camp opportunity for students interested in a healthcare career. Here is the link: http://www.nextgen.org/programs/health-services/health-career-camp/

The goal is for high school students to learn about careers in healthcare, including the numerous career possibilities and the length of time it takes for the educational component. AHS is the largest health care employer in Alberta and in Canada, with well over 110,000 people employed in a large number of different occupations in a wide variety of settings. The health career camps provide exposure to AHS including to facilities and staff, as well as to post-secondary institutions that offer education for healthcare careers.

There is the possibility of having one Indigenous health career camp scheduled for Calgary. Those of Indigenous ancestry can, if they prefer, attend any of the other camps scheduled for Southern Alberta. Given the need to help create capacity in Indigenous Peoples, we are requesting funding that can first be applied to students with Indigenous ancestry. This can benefit Indigenous students who may not be aware of the different careers and the different educational requirements, perhaps encouraging them to have a career in healthcare. This is able to benefit them and their family directly, plus it can benefit their Indigenous community by having Indigenous healthcare experts available for care. It can also benefit Indigenous peoples who receive healthcare through AHS.

Subsequent groups of high school students to be funded could include visible minorities, different races of people, people from places of different origin, sexual orientation, etc., with a concentration on those who are least likely to be able to afford the $175 cost of tuition. We are striving for diversity in who attends the health career camps, with resulting inclusion in the healthcare workforce of the future.

Who Will it Benefit?

The health career camps will benefit a wide range of diverse peoples including Indigenous peoples. It is well known that Indigenous peoples are trying to recover from the Residential School experiences as well as Colonization. Health careers for Indigenous Peoples have the potential to benefit both the people providing healthcare as well as the Indigenous Peoples who are cared for by them. They have the potential to seek change and adaptation of the health system from within. Secondary to Indigenous Peoples, visible minorities, different races of people, people from places of different origin, sexual orientation, etc., will also be included for funding, with remaining funds available to be spread evenly among the remainder that apply.

Intended for students in Grade 10-12 (as of September 2018) participants will:
• Learn about dozens of health care careers and the pathways to get there
• Participate in hands-on activities and interactive demonstrations
• Tour classroom labs and interact with instructors and students
• Go behind the scenes at local health care facilities
• Learn about the variety of programs available at regional post-secondary institutions
• Meet health care professionals and hear stories first hand

These 3-5 day camps will benefit students by better understanding about healthcare careers and the pathways to get there. It will support equity for groups such as indigenous by creating awareness of healthcare careers and opportunities. It meets and educates students where they are at and gives granular insight into how healthcare operates (numerous opportunities requiring different lengths of time, i.e. 19 weeks to train as a medical lab assistant.)

It will open the eyes of students to the extensive opportunities.