Since 2018, October 14 has been celebrated as International Allied Health Professionals Day. Its purpose is to highlight the incredible work being done province-wide by the more than 75,000 members of the 70+ Allied Health disciplines. Allied Health professionals provide a wide range of preventive, diagnostic, technical, therapeutic, and clinical support services across our region.
Allied health professions include physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language pathology, social workers, and dietitians, as well as audiology, dental hygiene, disciplines allied to social work, and child life specialists, among others.
“Clinical exercise physiologists can play a huge role in helping prevent chronic disease in patients; often we are thought of after someone has a diagnosis,” says Nicole Lunde, a clinical exercise physiologist working in Houston, BC. “My favourite part of my job is helping my patients and watching them achieve their goals. It’s really rewarding to see their hard work pay off.”
Krista Dunlop is a clinical pediatric audiologist working in Prince George. “I love working with children and families and being part of their health care journey,” she says, “Hearing is essential for developing and understanding spoken language – a child’s hearing can be tested at any age.”
Tori Ring is a medical laboratory technologist currently working with the NH Quality Team. “As a profession, our main goal is providing patient results that are accurate and precise,” she says. “Though you may not see us, we’re working tirelessly to ensure any results that leave the lab can be trusted and will guide clinicians to make the best treatment decisions for each patient. My favourite thing about working as a lab technologist is that I’m able to have a direct, positive impact on patient care while being tucked away in a low-visibility profession. As an introverted person, the hospital setting can be overwhelming for me. I like that I can help patients, yet not become overstimulated through my workday. The laboratory is a wonderful option for introverted personality types who still want to work in health care.”
“Child Life Specialists help children, and their families, understand and cope with stressful healthcare experiences,” explains child life specialist Sarah Christensen, who works in the Pediatrics Ward at UHNBC. “As far as I know, I’m the only person in this part-time position in the North. I would love to expand the program to include child life specialists in the ER, NICU, and OR. My favourite thing about my work is seeing children use positive coping strategies to do hard things like getting a needle, and then witnessing their sense of accomplishment.”
Lisa Wasstrom is a registered dental hygienist working in public/community health in Quesnel. “Dental hygiene is more than just cleaning teeth or painting fluoride varnish,” she says. “We’re educated in nutrition and head and neck pathologies, and we also work hard to help remove barriers while providing resources, services, and education to those who have trouble accessing it or are unaware of the benefits and care available to them. Building relationships with patients, parents, and communities, and seeing their confidence grow in accessing and using dental health services is my favourite part of my job. Oral health equals overall health!”
“From a public health perspective, I want everyone to know that dental work is as important as medical work. Dental care is health care. Tooth and periodontal problems have effects on our bodies and health, but to me it often feels like dental is overlooked and disregarded,” says Amanda Wagman, a dental hygiene practitioner working in Dawson Creek. “Many dental hygienists have degrees, similar to nurses. We have all been working so hard to serve our communities despite staffing challenges. The certified dental assistants, registered dental hygienists, and dental hygiene practitioners who see clients with the NH Dental Program are an educated, experienced, and talented team! I’ve had the opportunity to travel throughout the North seeing dental clients – from Prince Rupert to Dease Lake, Tumbler Ridge to Fort Nelson.”
Linda Huffman is a community social work assistant working in Fort St. John. “One thing I wish people knew about the work I do is how emotional it is,” she says. “The good days that make you smile, the hard days that make you want to cry, the uplifting days when you’ve managed to help someone that felt hopeless and helpless, and every day in between. It can be a rollercoaster of emotions but it’s worth it every time. My favourite thing about this work is seeing the excitement on a person’s face when whatever problem was being worked on by us is finally complete and has worked in their favour. Watching someone struggle through an awful time in their life and accomplish what felt impossible is amazing.”
Allied Health professionals are an essential part of team-based health care, and we are grateful for their expertise and dedication to excellent patient care across the North.
You can learn more about what BC Allied Health professionals do and the wide variety of professions included in Allied Health through the BC Allied Health Policy Secretariat.
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