RBWH partnering with Kelvin Grove State College
RBWH and Kelvin Grove State College (KGSC) have developed a collaborative partnership that aims to benefit not only future healthcare workers studying at the college, but the staff and patients of RBWH. Since the program’s inception in early 2021, RBWH staff and KGSC students alike have experienced positive outcomes which serve to improve long-term healthcare practices.
The partnership has been implemented as part of the KGSC Health Highways Program. The Health Highways Program provides KGSC students with the opportunity to earn qualifications in the health industry including Certificates II and III in Health Support Services. It also provides a clear pathway to careers in nursing, paramedics, allied health, dental, medical imaging, medicine, central sterile supply department, pharmacy, pathology, coding, client services, youth work and patient support services.
As part of the program, KGSC has welcomed RBWH’s health industry experts to work with students to provide insider knowledge on what a career in health entails. A range of RBWH experts have already visited the college to run workshops, including nuclear medicine physicists, pharmacists, dieticians, hyperbaric clinicians, finance experts, the building, engineering and maintenance team, and more. The broad range of RBWH staff who have been involved so far has served to demonstrate the many career options available in health.
In addition, teams within RBWH have partnered with specific subject groups to come up with unique initiatives. The RBWH psychology team are working with KGSC visual art students to make colourful artworks to hang in the psychology department, and KGSC English students are currently writing a suite of poems for RBWH patients to instil feelings of hope, resilience, and perseverance.
The response from KGSC students and their teachers has been overwhelmingly positive, with the students engaged and curious as they listen to real life professionals and discuss scenarios relevant to their field of study.
RBWH Executive Director David Rosengren said that while the partnership is greatly benefiting students and staff from KGSC, it is also providing benefits to RBWH staff members.
“I’m thrilled for RBWH to be partnering with KGSC to help shape and inspire young minds about the endless possibilities a career in health can provide,” he said.
“As health professionals, it is vital for us to take a step back from our day-to-day roles and remember the reasons we chose to work in health in the first place.
“This partnership is an opportunity for RBWH staff to reflect on the importance of what we do, providing them with a refreshed perspective and new motivation to continue improving RBWH’s world class healthcare.
“I’m excited to see where the partnership leads to in the future.”
RBWH Diagnostic Radiographer Clinical Educator Karen Doheny said the opportunity to present to the students was a wonderful experience.
“Working as a frontline clinical worker all my life, I have not done much public speaking. This was a great opportunity to develop this skill,” she said.
“It was heart-warming for me to reflect on why I chose radiography as a profession and gave me the confidence in knowing I am an expert in my field.
“It also made me realise that many years on, I still have no doubt that this is the right profession for me.”