Restigouche students discover healthcare professions

Vitalité Health Network - Friday, June 2, 2023 – On May 31, some 100 students from grades 9 to 12 took part in an immersion experience into the healthcare system.

This career exploration activity took place in an isolated area of the Restigouche Hospital Center in Campbellton. Experienced professionals led a series of interactive demonstrations.

These role-playing exercises gave the group a better understanding of the various healthcare professions, and allowed them to explore the diversity of employment opportunities available in the healthcare sector.

The young participants represented four local schools: Polyvalente Roland Pépin (Campbellton), École Marie-Gaétane (Kedgwick), Sugarloaf Senior High School (Campbellton) and Dalhousie Regional High School (Dalhousie).

They were able to engage with employees from a wide range of fields: nursing, respiratory therapy, cardiology, diagnostic imaging, physiotherapy and occupational therapy, kinesiology, social work, recreology, speech therapy, laboratory services, pharmacy, sterilization, maintenance and laundry.

Each student was provided with a folder containing information on each profession and the associated training courses offered by the educational institutions.

The activity was conceived as a way of encouraging young people to explore the different career paths available within the Network, notes Maxime Saulnier, Director of Hospital Activities at the Campbellton Regional Hospital.

"We wanted to adopt a creative way of capturing their attention and introducing them to our work environment," says Saulnier. "We hope this will open up new perspectives for young people and help guarantee a passionate next generation of healthcare professionals."

Vitalité Health Network would like to thank the school administrations for their generous cooperation in organizing the activity, as well as the employees of the Restigouche Hospital Centre and the Campbellton Regional Hospital, who enthusiastically shared their expertise and experience.

Christine Doiron, Manager of the Geriatric-Rehabilitation-Palliative Units at the Campbellton Regional Hospital, took part in an acute care simulation.	Emmanuelle Lévesque, a medical imaging ultrasound technician, presented her profession to the visitors.

Émilie Frenette, psychologist, and Véronique Coulombe, social worker, described the work conducted at the Restigouche Hospital Center.	Denis Landry and Nicolas Akerley Charpentier gave a presentation on maintenance and environmental services.