The rural school visits are the initiative of Hauora Taiwhenua Rural Health Network’s Rural Health Careers promotion programme.
This initiative involves groups of tertiary health students touring rural regions to visit schools, practices, hospitals, and other health providers in the area.
During these visits, the tertiary students host interactive health career workshops with school pupils from year 9 to 13.
Hauora Taiwhenua chief executive Dr Grant Davidson said that international research shows students from rural areas are more likely to return and serve their communities post-graduation, a point crucial in addressing the severe shortage faced by many rural areas in New Zealand.
"Currently, we depend heavily on overseas doctors to fill our rural workforce gaps. The sustainable solution, however, is to educate more doctors, nurses, and healthcare professionals locally. We must equip and encourage them to serve in our rural regions," Dr Davidson said.
Five tertiary students, Molly Hanning (anaesthetic technician) , Olivia Liong (dentistry), Emily Lake (nursing) Kaylee Bezet (paramedicine) and Kathy Toms (nursing) were at Waitaki Girls’ High School last week to host the interactive workshop, along with the school’s careers adviser Viv Hay.
Miss Toms, who is in her second year of nursing at The University of Auckland, said the group had been to seven schools in the Otago and Canterbury and have "loved it".
She said she was was "definitely" applying again to continue nursing and the team, many from rural backgrounds, had enjoyed sharing their real-life experiences with the high school students.
Four other groups had visited different regions across the country in the past fortnight, each visiting between six and eight schools. To date the groups have been to 54 schools across the country and another seven tours are planned before the end of November.
Mr Davidson said using the energy and enthusiasm of tertiary students on health training pathways was a great way to expose rural youth to possible health careers.
