A recent internship student describes her experience at Selkirk Regional Health Centre as eye-opening and meaningful.
Mya Greenaway, a Grade 12 student at Springfield Collegiate Institute in Oakbank, said she hoped to gain insight into different health-care careers.
Marking a milestone, she was the first student to have the chance to shadow Waabishki Bineshiins — the IERHA Indigenous Health team.
Megan Chartrand, Indigenous Health social worker, said it was an honour having Mya join the team.
“Mya demonstrated exceptional time management skills and the willingness to learn. She showed interest in the Indigenous culture and various ways the health-care system can help support individuals who came through the hospital,” Chartrand said.
“Mya initiated conversation with our relatives and was able to show compassion and respect. She has also learned about smudging and supporting relatives culturally. Mya has a bright future ahead of her and will no doubt excel in any career of her choosing.”
During her internship, Mya also had the chance to shadow nurses in different departments.
“Seeing nurses interact with patients throughout the hospital showed me the importance of empathy and teamwork in health care, whether they were responding quickly to emergencies or taking time to reassure anxious patients,” she said.
At the same time, the internship experience sparked a career interest for Mya.
“Overall, these experiences helped me decide that I am interested in nursing,” she said, “and they inspired my goal of becoming a psychiatric nurse with a focus on drug addiction, where I can combine compassionate patient care with mental health and social support.”
Lori Buors, Indigenous human resources officer, thanks all the staff at the Selkirk Regional Health Centre for spending time with students and giving them opportunities during their internships.
Waabishki Bineshiins currently has openings for Indigenous social worker positions in Ashern and Selkirk. The position acts as a liaison using a cultural lens when working with patients, families, Indigenous communities, and health-care and community agencies. Email Indigenoushealth@ierha.ca for more information.
