After a hiatus of nearly two decades, Northern Health (NH) opened its doors once again for high school students with career observation experiences! The Student Practice Education team at NH worked extensively with Duchess Park Secondary School teachers to facilitate work experience opportunities lasting three weeks for students interested in exploring health care careers.
While some of the grade 11 and 12 students already had ambitions of becoming health care professionals, others were undecided and open to being inspired. These students spent their mornings at the University Hospital of Northern BC (UHNBC) in Prince George between February and March 2025, and rejoined their classes at the high school in the afternoons.
After touring the hospital at the beginning of the program, they spent time shadowing nursing and allied health staff on various medical and imaging units at the hospital, witnessing both inpatient and outpatient procedures. They were given opportunities to ask questions, find mentors in the organization, and begin building career paths toward their own dream jobs.
The experience was regarded as overwhelmingly positive by the students who spent time with a range of health care professionals, and by the staff at UHNBC who had the opportunity to reflect on their own professions with a renewed sense of awe.
One student remarked, “I enjoyed speaking with the health care professionals about their careers, and watching them interact with patients.”
Another student specifically appreciated “the diversity of the program; they showed many different health care jobs and didn’t just focus on one.”
Of the managers who responded to evaluation surveys, all shared that their department was well suited for learning and a future shadow opportunity such as this would be welcome.
Given the current context of health care in Northern BC and beyond, staffing shortages are unfortunately common and recruiting the next generation of health care professionals must start early! This pilot project is one of a kind this year for the Student Practice Education team and lends itself well to the strategic priorities of NH for workforce sustainability through early recruitment and retention.
Leaning into the NH values of collaboration with our local education partners and innovation when engaging with the community, this experience enriches our commitment to teaching, learning, and celebrating our successes together.
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