STUDENTS from four Bendigo high schools were joined by peers from Maryborough as they recently got a chance to learn more about careers in allied health professions last week.<\/p>\n
More than 120 year 9s, 10s, and 11s attended come and try day at La Trobe Bendigo\u2019s Tech School.<\/p>\n
Year 12 Catherine McAuley student Ben Reid said he has a part-time role as a rehab porter at Bendigo Health.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrowing up you think it\u2019s nurses and doctors the whole time but no, you realise it\u2019s so much beyond that, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s kind of exciting to see that there\u2019s kind of a career for everyone at the hospital if they choose to pursue it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fellow Catherine McAuley year 11 student Jaclyn McNutt said she had been looking into possible careers in health and the come and try day experience had helped.<\/p>\n
\u201cI haven\u2019t really found what I\u2019ve been looking for yet, but today\u2019s definitely opened my eyes to all the different options that are there,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s good to hear how they came to find their role, like some of them didn\u2019t just leave school and that\u2019s what they went for, they had to go through different stages to find that\u2019s what they actually had a passion for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Representative from Bendigo Health, Sarah Gallagher, said part of the organisation\u2019s data showed between eight and 10 per cent of allied health positions within the Loddon Mallee were vacant recently.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got data from the Government that tells us that in the next five years the demand we have for services, 10 of our allied health disciplines are in above-average demand, said Ms Gallagher.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just don\u2019t have enough students coming through to fill that yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bendigo Tech School head of programs Ember Chittenden said the day was about showing links between industry, healthcare, and education to help inform students about possible career pathways.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we really love is it\u2019s an opportunity for young people to actually speak with local clinicians as well and to break down those barriers so that they can engage in those activities,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut also just build that relationship and those connections early on, and ask the questions that sometimes the teachers mightn\u2019t have the answers to or that mightn\u2019t even pop into their head.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s around providing opportunities to grow and reach and impact our local community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Along with Catherine McAuley College, students came from Bendigo South East College, Girton Grammar School, DOXA School Bendigo, and Maryborough\u2019s Highview College.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
STUDENTS from four Bendigo high schools were joined by peers from Maryborough as they recently got a chance to learn more about careers in allied health professions last week. More than 120 year 9s, 10s, and 11s attended come and try day at La Trobe Bendigo\u2019s Tech School. Year 12 Catherine McAuley student Ben Reid […]<\/p>\n