August 8, 2023
From July 10 – 14, LHSC’s Trauma Program hosted the inaugural Trauma Career Bootcamp at Victoria Hospital for high school students entering grades 11 and 12.
The week-long program provided students with the exciting opportunity to explore various careers in healthcare associated with the Trauma department including health disciplines, critical care, emergency medicine, respiratory therapy, diagnostic imaging, labs, post-anesthesia care, medical device reprocessing and food services.
Students shadowed different professionals in those areas to learn more about each position and inform potential future career pathways and opportunities. This bootcamp provided a unique learning opportunity outside of the standard classroom and engage with healthcare professionals in various healthcare fields.
The student feedback was overwhelmingly positive from the bootcamp. During the camp they learned skills from healthcare experts in the field and were introduced to different equipment used in various areas such as the BiPap machine which helps push air into the lungs for those who are having trouble breathing, learned to draw blood from a PICC line (peripherally inserted central catheter line which is used to access large veins in the chest), learned how to suture, and were able to see the Ornge helicopter up close.
Here’s what the students had to say about their time at LHSC:
- My favourite job shadow experience was a three-way tie. I really liked getting to draw blood from the PICC line, I liked getting to look through the window to the OR to see surgeries, and I liked getting to see an incoming trauma and see the team work to help the patient.
- It showed me how the hospital works and helped me pick what I wanted to do in life.
- Realizing how many other jobs there really is in healthcare, it opened my eyes to so many other possibilities.
- It helped introduce me to careers I had previously been unfamiliar with and gain an even deeper passion for medicine/medical science.
- I can’t even describe how amazing it was, it was honestly one of the best experiences of my entire life. It helped me so much to see careers I’ve wanted to do, and see jobs I’ve learned I don’t want to do. I now know a lot more where I want to go.
- The only experience I had before this was what I knew from movies. This gave me real experience. I also saw the pace of work in different placements.
- I loved this program.
- Best experience ever!
- I really had fun in this bootcamp and I would definitely recommend it to anybody that even has a tiny bit of interest in medicine or healthcare.
- This program introduced me to so many amazing people. I can’t believe it’s over already and I’ll miss everyone. Thank you LHSC Trauma!
The staff involved in the bootcamp were also excited to be a part of the bootcamp experience!
- Stellios Gougoulias, Physiotherapist, Health Disciplines, “I had a great experience with the Trauma Bootcamp. I discussed with students what we do in the hospital, what schooling was needed to become a physiotherapist, and why I chose this career. It was nice to see that the students really wanted to be here and were taking advantage of such a great opportunity for them to see so many different careers.”
- Emily Hahn-Trnka, Manager, Food Services, “I hope that we opened a few eyes to the alternative roles that are available in health care that support patient recovery and wellbeing. This was just a wonderful and refreshing opportunity for our team – we were energized by the students, their excitement and thirst for knowledge. It was a joy to have them in Food Services!”
- Maria Franco, MDR Clerk at Victoria Hospital, “Our team loved the experience and are so thankful that we got to participate and educate people on the Medical Device Reprocessing department. I hope the students were able to see how much team work is needed in a hospital setting, that many units have to work together every day and that every unit is important for patient care.
- Irina Bacanu, Medical Laboratory Technologist, PaLM, “I hope students were able to see themselves in the positions they shadowed. There are so many ways to be a part of medicine, and events like this are important to allow a peek into this world from multiple perspectives. Having students exposed to multiple career opportunities leads to empowerment of the younger generation to choose a path that best suits them.”
- Shannon McPhail, Emergency Department Technician (EDT), Emergency Care, “I helped demonstrate some of the tasks and duties EDTs perform such as applying wrist splints, should slings, should immobilizers, cutting off casts, and cutting off rings. I thought this was a very interesting way to engage students and I hope they continue their interest in healthcare.”
- Amanda Johnston, Professional Practice Consultant, Medical Imaging, “Many of the students were not familiar with Medical Radiation Technologists (MRTs) and assumed nurses and physicians performed imaging exams and procedures. They were impressed with our advanced technology and I hope they learned that the hospital is filled with many healthcare professionals (and healthcare career options!) that act as a team to help trauma patients through their healthcare journey.”
- Deborah Gorman, Physiotherapist, Health Disciplines, “The students were very engaged and refreshingly excited about healthcare! I found it interesting how much the students already knew about careers in healthcare. I hope they experienced how rewarding health care can be and how much of an impact you can have on a patient’s experience in hospital.”
- Kelly Taylor, Clinical Educator, Emergency Department (Victoria Hospital), “The overall Trauma Bootcamp experience was great! I hope the students took away from the experience that the Emergency Department is a high-stakes environment that has all members of the health care team working together for patients.”
- Meghan Fretter, Laboratory Quality Consultant, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PaLM), “It was really nice for students to get a practical look at what a job in healthcare looks like and that there are a lot of options. Some of the students seemed very interested in lab medicine as a possible career – it was a busy week but a lot of fun!”
The first Trauma Career Bootcamp was a resounding success thanks to LHSC’s Trauma Program, the staff involved, and the students who were so eager to learn and participate in the experience.
Please note: Infection prevention and control education was provided to students before they began the bootcamp. All safety precautions, including appropriate PPE and hand washing protocols, were maintained by all throughout the experience.