Students studying several health-care disciplines are coming to the Smoky River Region this weekend to discover the advantages of living and working in rural Alberta.
From October 26 to 28, bilingual nursing students from University of Alberta Faculté St. Jean, medical students from the University of Calgary, and one GPRC student, are coming to Smoky River to take part in an RhPAP Health Professions Skills Weekend event. Participants will experience the area’s Francophone culture while learning medical skills from local health-care professionals. The event is sponsored by the Rural Health Professions Action Plan (RhPAP), U of A Faculté St. Jean, the Smoky River Regional Physician Recruitment and Retention Committee (SRRPR&R), and Alberta Health Services.
On Saturday, health-care professionals at Sacred Heart Health Care Centre in McLennan will introduce students to the broad range of skills health professionals in rural communities are expected to use every day, including IV starts, suturing, casting, EMS, and a STARS Mobile Education unit simulation.
RhPAP Skills Events also provide rural Alberta communities with an opportunity to make a positive impression on future health professionals through showcasing local amenities and attractions. Students will receive a warm welcome in McLennan on Friday night at a family dance funded by the local Family Community Support Services. Following a busy day of skills training on Saturday, the group will participate in group activities, including a scavenger hunt in Donnelly sponsored by Alberta Capital Finance Authority (ACFA) and a community turkey supper provided in junction with the SRRPR&R committee and the Economic Development Council of Alberta, and a social event in Falher. Following the social event, a paint night will take place, sponsored by the Smoky River Agricultural Society. On Sunday, participants will be treated to breakfast in Girouxville and a tour of Berube grain farm, and Hank and Nicole Strokappe’s sheep farm, before returning home.
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.
For more information, please contact:
Holly Handfield
RhPAP Rural Community Consultant – NW Zone
Cell 780-518-7361
Holly.Handfield@rhpap.ca
Jonathan Koch
Director, Communications, Marketing, and Research, RhPAP
Tel: 587-987-4325
jonathan.koch@rhpap.ca