Students Brant Wallgren and Brett Moran from Edgerton Public School practises suturing at the “Grow Your Own” health skills event. Sixty local high school students received an introduction to health care careers from instructors from Edgerton, Irma and Chauvin alumni on May 3 at the Edgerton High School. ECA Review/Submitted
Sixty local high school students received an introduction to health care careers from Edgerton, Irma and Chauvin alumni on May 3 at Edgerton High School.
Students had hands-on learning of suturing, catheter care, and giving an injection and were treated to an Rural Health Professions Action Plan (RhPAP) sponsored lunch and a presentation from motivational speaker, Alvin Law.
The former students who include a combined lab/x-ray technician, pharmacist, psychologist, physical therapist, speech language pathologist, registered nurse, dietician, paramedic and doctor spoke to participants about their health care career paths.
Edgerton’s health skills event presents an innovative approach to educating rural high school students.
The community is not home to a health care centre, but the local committee believes that inspiring students will nonetheless improve rural health care viability in the region.
RhPAP Skills events, including Skills Days and Skills Weekends for high school and post-secondary students, are sponsored by the Rural Health Professions Action Plan, and are scheduled in rural Alberta communities throughout the year by the RhPAP Rural Community Consultant team.
Established in 1991 by the Government of Alberta as the Alberta Rural Physician Action Plan, a renewed Rural Health Professions Action Plan, or RhPAP, is transitioning from a rural physician support program to a rural allied health professionals and community development agency.
Their vision is to help rural Alberta have and sustain the right number of rural health practitioners in the right places, offering the right services, through community and professional development programs, services, and evidence-informed advocacy.
Clinical Pharmacist Brianne Thompson (left) watches Katlyn Jones from Irma School prepare for an injection. Brianne was one of 12 Alumni Instructors at the High School Skills Day event in Edgerton. The majority of those instructors grew up in the Edgerton area. Brianne graduated from Edgerton Public School in 2006. Today she is a pharmacist at the Rexall Pharmacy, Wainwright. Katlyn wants to be a nurse. She plans to attend nursing school in Medicine Hat in the fall. ECA Review/Submitted
