A recent graduate now has a jump start on his career thanks to a successful internship experience at Selkirk Regional Health Centre.
When Larry Denisiuk wrapped up his last day of job shadowing on June 25, he could hardly believe how quickly the time went by. He had embarked on the internship on March 2, not knowing quite what to expect.
“My initial assumptions were that it would be a chaotic experience and would put me under a lot of stress. But now that I am finished shadowing this job, I have realized that it was quite, in fact, the opposite,” said Larry, who attended Springfield Collegiate Institute in Oakbank.
“There definitely were times that I experienced chaos and stressful situations, but the team at SRHC managed to de-escalate these stressful situations with such professionalism, hard work, dedication and, most of all, teamwork.”
One of the biggest lessons he learned is that resilience is key to success. Another takeaway is the importance of teamwork, particularly in the busy hospital setting.
“Every department I went to at SRHC had a team of bright-minded, passionate, comedic, helpful and encouraging staff. Everyone helped each other out, no matter what the situation was. Additionally, people would teach other co-workers efficient ways of doing procedures or show them something new. I found that these encouraging teams helped everyone get through the day,” he said.
“They make the day a lot more positive, uplifting and joyful, which is not what many people would expect when working at a hospital. The teams at SRHC definitely have each other’s backs, and that allows patient care to be improved. One thing that stood out to me the most was how every team I went to accepted me and were very kind to me. They treated me as if I had always been a part of the team, which made me feel very appreciative.”
Lori Buors, Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority’s Indigenous human resources officer, expressed gratitude for all the staff involved in creating this positive experience.
“There is an outstanding team at the Selkirk hospital who welcomes high school internship students,” she said. “A big thank you to all the staff.”
It was an enjoyable and educational experience for Larry, whose favourite departments included the lab, diagnostic imaging and the emergency room.
“They are all related to my field of interest, which is medical microbiology and infectious diseases,” he said, “and these departments have strengthened my passion for this field of science.”
In the end, Larry said he learned a lot of lessons through the internship opportunity.
“I recommend this job shadowing experience to any high-schooler who is thinking of pursuing a career in medicine or any career that involves biology, chemistry or physics. The amount of jobs related to health care is definitely something for high-schoolers to consider and is a field in high demand,” he said.
“This experience is, without a doubt, one that I will remember for the rest of my life.”
Larry was selected as a BMO Financial Group Leader of Tomorrow and received a $16,000 scholarship to attend the University of Manitoba, where he will work towards his bachelor of science degree (honours) with a co-op option in microbiology. His other recent volunteer work includes roles with Oakbank Animal Hospital, Winnipeg Folk Festival and Folklorama.
