New health care course offered at Glendale

Student Eunso Fehr, left is assessed by her fellow students Claire McCutcheon, centre, and Isabell Phongsavath as part of the Grade 10 health care class at Glendale High School. New this year, the class has been tremendously successful, with enough students for three classes. (Jeff Helsdon Photo)

Jeff Helsdon, Editor

Besides offering a new opportunity to students, it’s hoped a new high school health care class can be part of the solution to Tillsonburg’s medical woes.

Walking into Kait Buchner’s classroom in Glendale High School gives more of a feeling of entering a health care setting than a school room. A pair of stretchers sit in what was once the front of the class, with a vital signs tower beside it. Human anatomy diagrams are on the wall. This is the Grade 10 Health Care class.

Although health care has been a course in a few other school in the Thames Valley District School Board for more than 10 years, it wasn’t in Tillsonburg. When Buchner, who was a paramedic before becoming a teacher, heard of the classes she started the process to bring the class to Glendale. She gave credit for principal Dave Chisholm for being supportive of the concept.

“It’s another tech program,” she said. “The students learn about different health care fields and get excited about it from hands-on experience and hopefully pursue it for a career.”

Although some may wonder why it’s a tech course instead of being part of the science curriculum, Buchner explained it’s the hands-on aspect that gave the course that designation.

Part of Buchner's motivation for starting the course was seeing the shortage of health care professionals locally. Another was that it allowed her to combine her love of health care with her passion for teaching.

“There’s no good reason we should be doing this when there’s such a need in our community,” she said.

Teaching family studies, phys-ed and spec-ed, Buchner found herself with three full classes of Grade 10 health care students last fall. She covers patient care assessments, infection control, basic first aid and CPR.

Buchner had to build the program from the ground up as a new course. She gave credit to Tillsonburg hospital for providing used vital signs machines and stretchers. Other support came from Community Living Tillsonburg providing excess infection control material and Norfolk EMS. She said the program could lay the groundwork for careers for paramedics, personal support workers, dental hygienists and massage therapists. In Grade 10, Buchner said it’s an introduction into health care and to let the students know what’s out there.

Students in the course had a tour of the Tillsonburg hospital and Fanshawe College’s health care programs. Guest speakers have included mental health, a nurse and doctor.

A Grade 11 health course is already an option for this fall to continue to build on what the students have learned. It will include more on treatment and pharmacology. Buchner hopes for a Grade 12 course the following year.

“There’s definitely an interest, so that’s exciting,” she said.

The initial diagnosis is the class is promoting an infection of Buchner’s love for health care. She said students are already talking of careers in the field, with a lab technician, dentist, radiologist, and surgeon being bandied about.