Every year, Alberta Health Services (AHS) hosts health camps around the province. It offers the opportunity for about 300 students in grades 9 through 12 to learn more about careers at AHS. Students gain firsthand experience from professionals working in the field and get to explore different procedures, tools, and skills.
Kaylee Williams is a high school student going into grade 12 who attended the AHS Healthcare Career Exploration Camps held in Edmonton. She is interested in becoming a Combined Laboratory and X-Ray Technologist (CLXT).
This summer, she is participating in the CAREERS program, a student summer internship program held in partnership with the Government of Alberta.
How did you hear about the CAREERS program?
I'm currently in the CAREERS program this summer, working in a lab at the Vermilion Hospital. I’m able to see what the CLXTs do and have got an idea of what the position entails, and I think that it would be something that I would really enjoy doing. It’s like I'm job shadowing. I learned about the program through my aunt who is a CLXT in Vermilion. She told me about this internship position as well as the AHS healthcare careers camp after AHS sent an e-mail out to staff who work in the lab.
Can you share your experience participating in the CAREERS student internship program?
The program is a full two-month program held over the summer, six hours a day, Monday to Friday. I work with the lab assistants, restocking collection carts, changing ECG charts, learning what each tool is used for, and the types of tests they run. After the patients leave the ECG, I clean the equipment and wipe down x ray equipment. The tasks vary from day to day.
Can you tell us about your experience attending the AHS Healthcare Career Exploration Camp last year?
The healthcare exploration camp that I attended last summer was very helpful to me. It was two full days in Edmonton. On the first day, we met at the airport. The pilots talked to us about what they do, and we heard about paramedic and first responder training. There was an ambulance there, and inside, we got to clean and dress wounds on a dummy. We heard from homecare nurses and got to practice suturing, which was really cool.
On the second day, we met at Glenrose Hospital. We got to see how they sanitize the hospital. They did a triage escape room experience, which gave you an idea of an ER nurse’s duties. Then we went to the lab and got to look at microscopes and the different slides. We saw how they sorted blood and did different kinds of tests which I found super interesting. It definitely piqued my interest.
We listened to an optometrist, and someone who works with prosthetics. They had a few engineering students come in who showed us some prototypes they had made to help patients with rehabilitation. We also had a doctor come in and talk about his experience, including getting into medical school, and what being a doctor is like.
Would you recommend the Healthcare Career Exploration Camp to other young people?
I definitely would. It helped me learn so much! I always have known that I wanted to work in healthcare like helping people, but I honestly didn't really have a clue what I wanted to do. I got to see so many different healthcare careers just being in the hospital. If anyone is interested at all in healthcare, the healthcare camp is an amazing way to see what’s out there. There are so many roles that you can find one that is a great fit for you.
How have the CAREERS program and/or Healthcare Career Exploration Camp shaped your career direction?
It was awesome! The internship has helped me narrow down my career options because I was thinking about nursing and working in the hospital before. Now, I feel a lab position would be a better fit for me because I really enjoy working in the lab. I love the position I'm in this summer! I think it's a great job. I have learned so much.
Sarah McDonald, a senior advisor with AHS’ Student Engagement & Youth Career Development team, says both the Career Exploration Camps and the Work Experience Partnership provide students with invaluable knowledge and understanding of the healthcare industry.
"Programs like this help build and shape the next generation of healthcare workers,” she says. “We aim to provide a supportive, collaborative learning environment so our youth can discover a wide variety of careers within healthcare and understand what it’s like to actually do those jobs.”
Learn more about AHS Healthcare Career Exploration Camps and watch our video of other participating students.
