Accepted Type
Oral
Code
OH2-3-4
Acceptance Declaration
Accept
Additional Information
I declare I have no actual or potential conflict of interest in relation to this program.
Was this work accepted for CCME 2020?
yes
Category
General Call (Workshop, Oral Presentation, Poster Presentation)
Type
Oral
Sub Type
Education Innovation
Will the presenter be a:
Student
Affiliation
Considered for Poster
yes
Title
Discovery Healthcare: Encouraging Highschool Students in South-Western Ontario to Pursue Careers in Healthcare
Length of Presentation
Background/Purpose
South-Western Ontario (SWO) continues to face challenges recruiting healthcare professionals, particularly to rural sites. In order to combat this, healthcare careers can be promoted among highschool students in SWO, as they are still in the midst of deciding on their future career, with the intention of them returning to their community. These objectives were executed through Discovery Healthcare (DHC); a summer camp aimed to expose highschool students in SWO to a broad spectrum of healthcare careers to promote interest in these fields and retention in their communities.
Summary of the Innovation
Five-day long camps were held in Leamington, Sarnia, Chatham-Kent and Wingham throughout July 2019 facilitated by four medical students. There was a total of 77 students with the majority going into grades 9 and 10. Students heard from local guest speakers in fields such as medicine, nursing, and allied health. Some spent an afternoon shadowing healthcare professionals in community hospitals, and did an ambulance tour with a paramedic. They had the chance to learn clinical skills such as vitals, casting, and suturing. Students also worked through case diagnoses and learned about social determinants of health.
Conclusion
Surveys were distributed to students at the beginning and end of each camp in order to gauge their understanding of pathways to different healthcare careers, and their interest in pursuing them. After the camp, they had a greater understanding, but an increase in interest depended on local availability of speakers. They were also interested in additional careers that they had not previously considered. DHC aspires to further its impact by inspiring more highschool students in SWO to pursue healthcare careers. We hope that this initiative will launch similar programs in other underserved areas.
Level of Training
Undergraduate
Abstract Themes
Additional Theme (First choice)
Additional Theme (Second Choice)
Additional Theme (Third Choice)
Authors
Presenter
Julia Petta
Arita Alija
Term 1
Yes
Term 2
Yes
Term 3
Yes
Term 4
Yes
Term 5
Yes
