LabQuest Program: Labrador-Grenfell Students Receive Unique Opportunity
Students from the 2024 LabQuest Program
Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) Health Services – Labrador-Grenfell Zone recently completed another successful one-week LabQuest Program for high-school students interested in pursuing a career in health care. The program, developed in 2022, is one of NL Health Services’ long-term recruitment initiatives to increase the number of health-care professionals in the Labrador-Grenfell Zone. The program is supported and funded by the International Grenfell Association (IGA).
Students who participated in this year’s LabQuest Program were shown several presentations from staff within various disciplines including speech language, pharmacy, diagnostic imaging, and nursing. Health-care professionals as well as human resources staff participated in the event to answer student questions and offer information about health careers and opportunities within the region.
Students were also given the opportunity to work with a health-care professional in an area of their interest to gain hands-on experience. Students job shadowed in areas such as laboratory public health, rehabilitation, respiratory therapy, operating room, outpatients, inpatients, diagnostic imaging, long-term care, infection control, behaviour management, and pharmacy.
“My dream is to be a surgeon, but the LabQuest program showed me that there are a lot of opportunities out there for me,” said Katie Simmonds, a student from this year’s LabQuest Program. “I enjoyed learning more about what it means to be a doctor and job shadowing people as they did their jobs. I would absolutely recommend this program to other students.”
L-R: Jasmine Day, registered nurse, and LabQuest student, Katie Simmonds.
As part of the program, students also researched a health-related topic and presented their findings to the other participants, coordinators and staff. Topics included: organ donation, diabetes, and nursing shortages in rural areas. This research allows students to increase their awareness of various health professions and careers in the Labrador-Grenfell Zone and provides an opportunity for them to develop their public speaking skills.
LabQuest Students practice orthopedics – the branch of medicine dealing with bones and muscles.
“The LabQuest program is an incredible opportunity for local youth to dive into the world of health care through hands-on education and job shadowing,” said Gail Hughes, human resources manager at NL Health Services – Labrador-Grenfell Zone. “LabQuest offers a richer, more immersive experience than what you would find at a typical career fair, helping students explore and connect with health-care careers right here in our region.”
Through the LabQuest program, NL Health Services hopes to encourage youth to pursue a career in health care and recognize the variety of opportunities available to have a vibrant, fulfilling career while living in beautiful communities throughout the Labrador-Grenfell region.