Mother and daughter connect on Take Our Kids to Work Day

Program gives a behind-the-scenes look at work life in healthcare

Story by Cassie Ford

LAC LA BICHE — When 14-year-old Faith Ratcliffe learned about Take Our Kids to Work Day (TOKTWD) at school, she eagerly asked her mom to participate.

“I wanted to see what her work was really about and get to know more about it,” she says.

TOKTWD is an annual career exploration event, held on the first Wednesday of November. High school students spend the day at the workplace of a parent, relative, friend or volunteer host to experience the world of work firsthand.

“This program gives young people the opportunity to chart their own career paths while gaining a deeper understanding of the healthcare field,” says Sarah McDonald, a senior Talent Acquisition advisor who focuses on Student Engagement & Youth Career Development.

“By participating, we help shape the future of healthcare and support the development of tomorrow's workforce.”

For students who spend the day with an Alberta Health Services worker, there are a wide variety of careers they can learn about. Faith’s mom, Judylynn Ratcliffe, is an Indigenous wellness coordinator at the William J. Cadzow Health Centre in Lac La Biche where she provides advocacy and support for Indigenous populations.

“I look out for the well-being of all Indigenous people who walk through the front door of our facility, and I build bridges between the Indigenous population and staff members,” says Judylynn.

“For example, I recently had a client in the community who had a doctor's appointment. He had transportation there, but had no support, so I went to the health clinic with him. We went in together to speak with the doctor to ensure my client was able to get his point across and feel heard.”

She also provides education to health professionals about respectful relationships and healthcare for Indigenous people — and speaks to the community about Indigenous health programs and careers in Indigenous Wellness.

Faith is the first of Judylynn’s kids to participate in TOKTWD.

“Faith is extremely shy, so it was uncomfortable for her at the beginning,” says Judylynn, “I had to introduce her to all the staff, so people knew why this child was walking around the hospital, but she warmed up to it.”

Faith was born at the William J. Cadzow Health Centre, so Judylynn showed her the room where she gave birth, and even introduced Faith to a nurse who was there when Faith was born, which helped bring her out of her shell.

Over the course of the day, Faith helped Judylynn prepare an upcoming presentation, attended meetings and met some of Judylynn’s clients in continuing care and acute care. “She was very warm and said just the right things to make people smile,” Judylynn adds with pride.

Faith says Take Our Kids to Work Day helps students better understand the “real world,” and she enjoyed getting a behind-the-scenes look at what her mom does every day.

For Judylynn, the experience was also a rewarding one.

“I loved seeing her begin to understand how busy of a day I can have and why I'm sometimes late coming home. We were able to connect on a deeper level as mother and daughter, and that’s what put a smile on my face.”

Faith says she will absolutely participate again next year. Judylynn is encouraging her to consider spending the day with AHS workers in other fields, such as the acute care team, management staff, and the recreation therapy team.

“She really enjoyed her time with the recreation leader in long term care, so that’s something I think would be right up her alley. She also loved being with the head nurse in acute care,” says Judylynn.

“I’ll talk to her about the different options and see if she is interested in trying something new next year.”