Healthcare Travelling Roadshow rolls into the Columbia Shuswap

2018 Roadshow (spotlight)

What does a normal heartbeat sound like? What does a midwife do? How does bad posture affect your overall strength?

All these questions and more answered as part of the Healthcare Travelling Roadshow.

Led by Southern Medical Program (SMP) students based at UBC Okanagan, the BC Interior roadshow made stops in Sicamous, Revelstoke, and Nakusp last month with the goal of inspiring the next generation of rural healthcare professionals.

Over 450 rural high school students participated in hands-on demonstrations and learned about a broad range of healthcare careers. This year’s trip included ten healthcare students and graduates representing medicine, nursing, physical therapy, midwifery, pharmacy, dental hygiene, respiratory therapy and cardiology technology.

“The roadshow was an excellent opportunity for our students,” says Jeff Colvin, Work Experience and Career Coordinator at Revelstoke Secondary. “Several staff remarked at how engaged all of our students were during the sessions. We would definitely host them again given the opportunity.”

The travelling exhibition also provided the healthcare students and graduates with a glimpse of what it is like to live and work in the region. Accompanied by an Interior Health recruiter, the group toured and connected with healthcare professionals at Shuswap Lake Hospital, Queen Victoria Hospital, and Arrow Lakes Hospital.

“The roadshow is a unique experience where you get to directly learn about rural communities while being involved in an interdisciplinary team of healthcare students,” says Taiysa Worsfold, first-year SMP student. “I am grateful for the opportunity to share my passion for medicine with youth in rural communities who often don’t get as much exposure to healthcare career options.”

The Healthcare Travelling Roadshow was conceived as a grassroots initiative to address rural healthcare workforce shortages. The provincial initiative has grown to include three regional trips each year in Northern and Interior BC. Since its inception in 2010, the roadshow has connected with more than 8,500 high school students in 43 communities throughout BC.

The Healthcare Travelling Roadshow is delivered in partnership with the University of Northern BC, Southern Medical Program, Interior Health, Rural Education Action Plan and the Northern Medical Programs Trust.