Dreaming of becoming a nurse, physiotherapist, or midwife is a great start, but turning those dreams into reality can be challenging.
RhPAP’s “How Do I Get There?” webinar series and the newly launched A-Z Rural Health Careers webpage can help guide the way for high school students across the province.
Re-invigorated last fall, RhPAP’s virtual series guides participants—from Grade 9 and up—on navigating the path to a career in rural healthcare. The series provides insights into various roles, including registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, healthcare aides and allied health professions.
“The participants appreciate hearing from the professionals themselves who are actually working in rural Alberta on what their experience is, why they love it, and what the struggles are,” says Lynsey Robinson, RhPAP’s South Zone Rural Community Consultant and Virtual Events Lead. Last year, about 150 people participated in the sessions.
The free, two-hour long webinars feature presentations from health professionals and experts, followed by a question-and-answer session. Upcoming events will expand into other areas of rural healthcare, such as pharmaceutical, dental care, and combined laboratory and x-ray technology. Robinson notes that high schools support the webinars as they offer students valuable insights into potential careers in their communities.
To further introduce high school students to the variety of careers in rural health, RhPAP recently launched the A-Z Rural Health Careers webpage.
“Now students interested in a healthcare career have a space that they can go to after the sessions that fills in the gap and answers some of those questions that they didn’t get to ask,” Robinson explains.
The site includes resources on a wide variety of healthcare careers — highlighting paths to roles like paramedicine, combined laboratory and x-ray technology, and respiratory therapy—fields in demand in rural Alberta communities and beyond. It also features videos showcasing a day in the life of various health professionals.
More health professions will be added in the coming months to provide a comprehensive resource that reflects the diversity of roles in rural healthcare. “We’re hoping to set up a one-stop shop,” says Robinson.