www.iechamilton.ca

The IEC Catalyst , June 2010

 

An Interview with Nancy Castura,
Health and Wellness SHSM Teacher at St. Mary Secondary School

Nancy Castura

Q: what do you feel is your greatest accomplishment in respect to the success of the Health and Wellness SHSM program at St Mary?

Nancy: As a grade 11 and 12 healthcare teacher here at St. Mary School, I feel my greatest accomplishment is the fact that the SHSM program is now being promoted within our school and at board level. It is sustainable and we have some strong community partnerships in the community with healthcare providers like St. Joseph’s Villa, McMaster University Medical Centre, Hamilton Health Sciences as well as other employers in the region. Our students are able to go out into the workforce and get the feel of working in healthcare sector, which is a wonderful opportunity for them to figure out the avenues they want to follow. After I initiated this program here at St. Mary and offered it for the first few years, it then was replicated in other high schools including Cardinal Newman, St Jean de Brebeuf and Cathedral. I have had the opportunity to work with teachers in these schools and mentor them as well. This is a big contribution in a lot of ways.

Q: What are the benefits of the SHSM program for the students?

Nancy: Students have the opportunity to try a specific career and then meet and interact with professionals to apply the theory they learned in school in real life. I can’t take it personally if the student chooses not to go into healthcare. That’s fine, because the goal of experiential learning is to help the students realize their interest. We have some students that are interested in the healthcare field, but are not sure at what level they want to pursue their career. They have skills and talent; it’s just about finding the match. We have some students that are going to make wonderful healthcare workers.

Q: On a personal level, how does it make you feel knowing that you are helping our community to shape the future?

Nancy: I think it’s very powerful. I feel very privileged to be able to initiate and create a course and implement it.  I feel that it was an opportunity for me to expose students to healthcare and to give back to the community. Healthcare is a fast growing field. What is important for me is seeing the students grow and then realize or come to that point that health care is or is not for them. It is interesting to see how the students are interacting with the concepts that have been introducing to them and later decide to choose for example Social work or Nutritional science. Many think healthcare career is limited to becoming doctors and nurses. They don’t realize that there are other options. But there are over 240 careers in Healthcare.

Q: What are your future plans?

Nancy: There has been a high level of student success because of this program. I see this SHSM course evolving. I would like to see this evolution and the integration of the program with other co-op opportunities.

Q: What does career mentoring mean to you?

Nancy: I have been a mentor for other professionals and teachers. I look at my clinical educators in my experiential learning placement as my mentors. I speak to them about upcoming placements and I always learn something new. So I see them as my healthcare mentors.

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