Working in partnership with Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals (DBTH), Retford Oaks Academy and other health, care, and educational originations in the area, the ‘We Care into the Future’ event provided local students an opportunity to explore the myriad of career opportunities the health and care sector has to offer.
The ‘We Care into the Future’ event returned to Bassetlaw after successfully launching last year, allowing Year 8 students from secondary schools across Bassetlaw to explore over 350 careers.
Both educational and engaging, the event is highly interactive. Students began their day journeying through a simulation corridor showcasing a patient’s journey from arriving by ambulance, into the emergency department, operating theatres, hospital ward, and then back into the community. The simulated corridor was facilitated by health and care professionals who provided an insight into their day-to-day roles.
From there, students were able to visit over 37 stands and interact with a range of clinical and non-clinical health care professionals to learn more about their individual career journey, as well as ‘having a go’ at real world activities from their everyday practice, including exciting interactive games, scenarios, models, and displays.
The students had the opportunity to interact with various further and higher education providers, who offered guidance on a wide range of academic and vocational pathways available in health and care after leaving school.
Dr Ann-marie Steele, Deputy Director of Education at DBTH, said: “We were so pleased to be able to host the ‘We Care into the Future’ careers event at The Well in Retford this year. We were delighted to give local Bassetlaw students the opportunity to meet in-person specialists in health and care, as well as educationalists, who were able to both educate and inspire them for future career pathways that can both benefit themselves and their local communities.”
Luke Dickinson, Principal for Retford Oaks Academy, a Foundation School in Health, said: “The day was a fantastic opportunity for our young people, allowing them to learn about a wider range of opportunities within the health and care sector, outside of the roles they were already aware of. These events really help to kickstart the conversation of considering their Key stage 4 pathways and beyond when looking at their career aspirations and how they can benefit their local community.
“Retford Oaks Academy has been working in partnership with DBTH as a Foundation School in Health, and we are incredibly proud and grateful for our Healthcare Ambassadors, who actively took part in the event, helping to facilitate the event, acting as casualties for the simulation pods and as photographers, capturing the day’s events.”
At DBTH, there are over 250 different career pathways, from patient-facing to non-patient facing who all work together to deliver quality patient treatment and care.
At the event, there were representees from DBTH, Retford Oaks Academy, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield Hallam, RNN Group, Home Instead, Nottinghamshire County Council and Bassetlaw District Council alongside many local social career organisations.