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Traveling roadshow showcases health-care careers

Clearwater was the site of the first health-care traveling roadshow put on by University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) in 2010
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Medical students Michael Klonarakis (standing) and Joshua Rivard demonstrate how to test for reflexes during a UNBC health-care roadshow at Clearwater Secondary School on May 4.

Clearwater was the site of the first health-care traveling roadshow put on by University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) in 2010.

Since then a significant number of Clearwater students who participated in the roadshow have chosen to go into medicine, pharmacy and other health-care related fields.

Also since then, the roadshow has continued, visiting other communities throughout the B.C. Interior.

Thursday, May 4, it returned to Clearwater for the first time since its initial trial run.

“I think it’s been going very well,” said Kirsten Anderson, a second-year medical student from Prince George and one of the roadshow’s organizers. “The students really enjoy it. They like the interactive, hands-on things.”

Taking part in the roadshow helps the youngsters see that there is a wide variety of opportunities in the health-care field, she said.

Professions represented included medicine, nursing, medical laboratory technology, nuclear medicine, dental hygiene, pharmacy and optometry.

Dr. Sean Maurice, a senior lab instructor at UNBC, helped to create the roadshow and has been a part of it ever since.

“During our visits to the schools, we’ll be speaking to students about careers in healthcare and giving them a first-hand look at different health-related equipment and technology,” he said. “They’ll have a chance to interact with model patients and learn everything from how to read an X-ray to how to take blood pressure and intubate.”

This year’s roadshow included health-care students from College of New Caledonia (CNC), University of British Columbia (UBC), British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), Douglas College, University of Waterloo as well as UNBC.

The week-long tour included McBride, Valemount and Barriere as well as Clearwater.

The Roadshow is funded through the Northern Medical Programs Trust (NMPT) and the Rural Education Action Plan (REAP).

Inset photo: Clearwater Secondary School students (l-r) Tony Benbow, Sky Sauve and Tashina Ault check out a set of teeth at the dental hygiene display.

Below: Bonnie He, an optometry student at University of Waterloo, tests students’ eyesight during the UNBC roadshow.