Hands-on program inspires aspiring healthcare students

High school students from across the region are being offered a unique insight into a day in the life of a healthcare worker, thanks to the Aspire2Health program.

The workshops take teenagers out of the classroom and allows them to experience simulated scenarios, participate in hands-on skills stations and meet health professionals.

Aspire2Health aims to excite and enthuse the region’s youth to guarantee a future workforce for the growing health industry.

Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise (TSBE) education manager Shamus Garmany said it was an exciting opportunity for students interested in entering the health industry.

“The health sector is our region’s largest employer, so the Aspire2Health program is a wonderful way to ensure we link some of our brightest students to health opportunities,” Mr Garmany said.

“The series of workshops kicked off in mid-April, with 13 events being held across our region in Toowoomba, Kingaroy, Chinchilla, Dalby, Goondiwindi, St George, Charleville, Roma, Stanthorpe, Warwick.”

Southern Queensland Rural Health (SQRH) director Associate Professor Geoff Argus said the Aspire2Health program identifies high school students interested in working in medicine, nursing or allied health and gave them a full immersion into regional and rural healthcare.

“The students participate in interactive clinical skills stations which expose them to the broad range of medical, nursing and allied health professions,” said Associate Professor Argus.

“We know rural students who undertake a health degree are more likely to return to practice in a rural area so bringing these workshops to regional and rural southern Queensland creates a clear pathway for health career choices to grow the rural health workforce.”

Rural Medical Education Australia director of training Paul Purea said the Aspire2Health program allowed the teenagers to experience what a health student did in a day at a rural hospital.

“This program gives students encouragement and self-belief to pursue a health career,” Mr Purea said.

“We also share with them the various entrance pathways to health studies.”

The Aspire2Health workshops are proudly delivered in collaboration with Griffith University, Southern Queensland Rural Health (SQRH), The University of Queensland - Rural Clinical School, University of Southern Queensland, Department of Employment, Small Business and Training (DESBT), Darling Downs and West Moreton PHN and Toowoomba and Surat Basin Enterprise (TSBE).

To enrol please visit, https://ruralmeded. org.au/courses/aspire2health/

Please see dates of the Aspire2Health 2023 events below:

· Chinchilla - 9 May 2023

· Dalby - 10 May 2023

· Toowoomba - 23 May 2023

· Toowoomba - 24 May 2023

· Charleville - 11 July 2023

· Roma - 12 July 2023

· Stanthorpe - 1 August 2023

· Warwick - 2 August 2023

· Toowoomba - 15 August 2023

· Toowoomba Region - 16 August 2023

· St George - 5 September 2023

· Goondiwindi - 6 September 2023.