PASS students Bella Willis (back) and Wyntah Shaw having health checks at the Solid Start conference.

PASS students Macacia Marich, Bella Willis and Wyntah Shaw with Pika Wiya registered nurse/tutor Mrs Verity McTaggart at one of the health booths at the Solid Start conference.

 

Students learn about health pathways

By Jessica Kotz

Port Augusta Secondary School students with an interest in pursuing health careers attended the “Solid Start: Pathways to a Brighter Future” conference last term.

The conference was hosted by the Rural Health Association for UniSA at Whyalla campus on Tuesday, April 12.

PASS students who are studying Certificate II in Health Support Services, delivered by Mrs Emily Doran in the YES Centre, and Aboriginal Education students attended the conference.

The one-day conference was aimed at students from remote and rural SA to promote a pathway into health careers.

Students in years 10-12 travelled from all over the State to attend the event.

Mrs Doran said information on a wide selection of health-related professions was provided.

She said some of the professions included nursing, optometry, occupational therapy, nutrition, health sciences, food sciences, psychology, physiotherapy and speech pathology.

Mrs Doran said there were interesting activities for the students to do at each health booth.

She said there were also health checks where students could have their ears checked, blood glucose tested, and have weight and height checks.

Students could see the inside of their ears on a screen while their ear checks were being conducted.

Former PASS student Brianna Kinnear was a guest speaker at the conference, talking about her journey into studying pharmacy at university.

PASS Aboriginal Education teacher Mr Adam Eustace said the conference provided students with a valuable insight.

“Students were able to gain an insight into the demands and pathways of becoming a health professional,” he said.

“The interactive activities allowed students to engage with tasks that would be undertaken by these professionals or gain the knowledge of these professions.

“With a wide range of career pathways in health, hopefully students will begin using these pathways to explore opportunities for post-school education.”