Seeing themselves in health care

By Danica Hidalgo Cherewyk

Indigenous high school students are gaining a firsthand look at careers in the health professions through the Introduction to Health-Care Career Pathways program in the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences.

Students in Grades 10 to 12 from Maples Collegiate, Garden City Collegiate, West Kildonan Collegiate and Exchange Met School participated in hands-on activities that introduced them to the colleges and departments within the Rady Faculty.

Brianna, a Grade 11 student at Maples Collegiate, said the program changed her perspective on what a career in health care can look like. 

A community partnership

Derek Stewner, acting director and workforce development and pathways program manager in the office of community engagement in the Rady Faculty, leads the pathways program.

“This initiative is an extension of what the Seven Oaks School Division is doing,” he said. “We asked, ‘How could the school divisions and the Rady Faculty complement one another? How can our faculty connect with other school divisions and community organizations to support the underserved, underrepresented individuals and communities?’”

The focus of the pathways program, Stewner said, is to reach four groups that have historically been underrepresented in health-care careers: Indigenous people, with an emphasis on remote, rural and northern communities; newcomers and refugees; members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community; and people living with disabilities.

“Oftentimes, space and opportunities haven't been made for them,” Stewner said. 

Learning by doing

The first cohort, which Brianna was part of, was made up solely of students from Maples Collegiate. The program ran from April to June.

Brianna appreciated that the activities allowed her to experience what the careers were actually like.

“We got to put acupuncture needles in our instructor’s hand, we put a breathing tube down a dummy’s throat and so many more hands-on experiences,” she said. “I would have to say the hands-on parts were my favourite.” 

The second cohort included Indigenous students from all four schools participating in the Seven Oaks School Division’s Mino Pimatisiwin internship, a summer employment program through which participants explore their culture, community and career opportunities. Between July and August, the cohort spent time at both the Bannatyne and Fort Garry campuses.

Students in both cohorts represented a wide range of Indigenous communities and are currently based in Winnipeg while attending school. Some were raised in First Nations communities and came to Winnipeg for high school, while others grew up in the city.  

Stewner said the pathways program also exposes students to opportunities beyond the health professions. Bringing them to campus, he said, introduces them to the many roles that support the university community, from administrative positions to specialized support services.

“It's opening doors and welcoming community members who may not have felt safe, had a sense of belonging, or felt they had a right to be here,” he said. “Connecting them with experts who know what supports and opportunities are available provides another way to remove barriers to access.”