Students inspired to pursue health-care careers in Mississauga and Brampton program

Students from underserved communities in Brampton and Mississauga are learning about career opportunities in health care in a new program.

The Future of Healthcare is a first-of-its-kind program designed to introduce health-care career opportunities to Peel District School Board’s underserved and underrepresented middle school and high school students, a press release from the board stated.

The program is a partnership with the board and Toronto Metropolitan University.

As many Canadian residents struggle to find family doctors and face long waits in emergency rooms, the need for more healthcare providers is great.

The program will be in three parts: a speaker series, a course offering and an experiential component. The course offering and experiential aspect will be finalized when TMU’s new school of medicine in Brampton opens in 2025.

With a new medical school so close to home, more students will have an opportunity to pursue a health-care career. Students don’t necessarily have to come with a strong chemistry, science or physics background, Kim Thomas, a school board resource teacher told INsauga.com

“We want to inspire kids to say, ‘You know what, there’s nothing I can’t do,'” said Thomas. “And we have a medical school that’s opening up that is saying that we want to put you at the front of the line, we want to welcome all students.”

Many students were inspired by the launch event on Oct. 24 where they heard from a panel of health-care professionals including Dr. Trudy McFarlane, Black Health Lead, School of Medicine, TMU. About 250 students attended the event.

The panel on Oct. 24 included Kim Thomas, left, Dr. Trudy McFarlane, Jason King, Dr. Jamaica Cass and Martina Douglas. Photo: Peel District School Board

“We got to see professionals sharing their personal life stories with us, and how hard it was to get to where they are now, and how good their journey was for them,” Adwoa Asantewaa, a Grade 12 North Park Secondary School student said.

Asantewaa wants to be a neurosurgeon.

D’Ara Ferron-Baiz, a Grade 12 Castlebrooke Secondary School student who wants to be a nurse, found the panel inspirational.

“I saw a lot of Black representatives on the panel so that was good as a Black student myself,” Ferron-Baiz said. “So listening to speakers and seeing how they went from zero to where they are now was such a great experience. And seeing what motivated them to continue— it was very inspirational.”

A student speaks with Dr. Trudy McFarlane. Photo: School District School Board.

With a interest in sports, Alvin Glasgow, a Grade 12, Castlebrooke Secondary School student, said he is thinking about studying physical therapy.

Glasgow said he is happy to hear TMU will provide opportunities for people in the Brampton community.

The program will help “people that are struggling and unnoticed, like the Black people,” he said, adding the program creates “more opportunities for us to succeed.”

Hayden Atwell, a teacher and Black Student Association lead teacher, said many students feel like they are overlooked.

Programs and talks like this open doors for students who maybe didn’t think certain career paths were possible for them, Atwell said.

“I think it’s so important that we always provide opportunities for all students, but especially our marginalized students, our Black students, who don’t get the access to the same opportunities that other students have, to make sure that they know what’s possible for them,” he added.

Students attend the launch event on Oct. 24. Photo: School District School Board.

Students heard from Dr. Jamaica Cass, a member of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte, Turtle Clan, and Indigenous Health Lead at TMU.

“My dream is to help people and become a nurse. Listening to Dr. Jamaica Cass inspired me because she shared how she came from an Indigenous family, went through incredibly tough times growing up, yet she still became so successful in her career,” said Carly Melhado, a Grade 11 student.

One of the goals of the Future of Healthcare program is to grow the diversity of future health-care professionals in the Peel region and in Canada. Ultimately, having a diverse medical community that reflects the population it serves will help ensure all ethnicities, beliefs, backgrounds and perspectives are represented in the health-care industry, the press release stated.

The Peel school board with TMU, wanted to address an industry need for talent that reflects the communities they serve, said Rashmi Swarup, director of education, Peel District School Board.

“We are excited for the students, their career potential and the contributions they will make in their communities,” said Swarup.

Lead photo of students watching the speaker series: Peel District School Board