Certificate in Health Services

On Tuesday 4 August, Ms Dargusch and I accompanied seven Certificate II and III students to Buderim Private Hospital for an Industry Experience Day, organised with the support of CheckUP Gateway to Health.

This is always a highly valued experience, providing students with a genuine insight into a range of healthcare careers. Throughout the day, students toured four key areas of the hospital.

Our first stop was the maternity ward, where students were given a comprehensive overview of life as a midwife. They also had the opportunity to hear from student midwives, nurses and experienced staff, whose stories and advice really resonated with the group.

Students then visited the Physiotherapy and Allied Health department. Having a wheelchair available in the Health room at Toogoolawah certainly gave our students an advantage, they impressed the staff with their confidence and ability to manoeuvre it! They also tested their grip strength using their non-dominant hand. Kalti insists he won the challenge (although I have my doubts!), so I’ll happily claim the title on behalf of the teachers.

The final hospital areas included the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and the Emergency Department triage area. Students also had the opportunity to speak with representatives from the local university, who answered questions about degrees, entry pathways and future study opportunities.

The day concluded with a panel of healthcare professionals who shared their experiences and advice across a wide range of careers, including cardiology, radiography, pharmacy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, medicine, nursing and midwifery.

We would like to thank the school and the families of the students involved for supporting opportunities such as this. Providing students with authentic industry experiences and exposing them to future career pathways is something I am passionate about, and we greatly appreciate the ongoing support that allows these valuable excursions to take place.

- Ms Cerchi