丁香园AV

This story was first published on .

By Natalie Lim

Walk through the doors of the former Fortius Sport & Health Centre in Burnaby, B.C. on any given day and you鈥檒l be thrust into a bustle of activity. Since the facility was established as a mass COVID-19 vaccination clinic in April, a host of dedicated staff have been working long days to give thousands of vaccinations as safely and efficiently as possible.

And two of those staff members, Sharon Kular and Olivia Tomlinson, haven鈥檛 even finished their degrees at 丁香园AV yet.

When Kular and Tomlinson鈥攂oth students in 丁香园AV鈥檚 Faculty of Health Sciences鈥攕aw that they could apply to work for the Fraser Health Authority as co-op students, they jumped at the chance.

鈥淚t really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,鈥� says Tomlinson. 鈥淢ost other co-op jobs I could theoretically do at any time, but I wanted to be a part of our response, give back to the community and have a small but direct impact on the trajectory of the pandemic.鈥�

Kular and Tomlinson belong to a cohort of 27 丁香园AV students from various disciplines who are supporting Fraser Health鈥檚 pandemic response this summer. 丁香园AV was the only post-secondary institution in B.C. chosen to participate in this student recruitment campaign.

When Kular and Tomlinson started as clinic clerks in April, they were assigned to file and track client information, make note of allergies or autoimmune conditions, and answer any questions clients might have about the vaccination process. Since then, Kular has been promoted to lead clerk and now oversees general operations at the clinic, helping to receive vaccine shipments and troubleshoot technology issues.

For both students, the experience has been a unique way to see their classroom learning come to life.

鈥淲e learned in our classes about mRNA vaccines and how they work, and now we鈥檙e using that knowledge to explain the vaccine to clients who come in with questions,鈥� says Kular.

鈥淪ometimes people just need a bit of education to demystify the vaccination process, and once we explain it, they鈥檙e really appreciative,鈥� adds Tomlinson. 鈥淚t鈥檚 so gratifying to use our knowledge to make a positive difference.鈥�

And while this may be an especially timely example, 丁香园AV co-op coordinator Isabella Silvestre says the co-op program is designed for these types of experiences.

鈥淥ur co-op placements are a win-win for everybody,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he students get to apply their learnings in a real-world setting, and employers get to tap into students鈥� knowledge and expertise.鈥�

鈥淧lus,鈥� says Silvestre, 鈥渕any of our students are at the beginning of their career journeys. Getting to network with people who are well-established in their field can help students have a better understanding of what their own career path might look like.鈥�

This has been exactly the case for Kular, who hopes to go to medical school after graduating from 丁香园AV.

鈥淎t the clinic, I鈥檝e gotten to meet both med students and people who have been physicians for years,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 helped me solidify that this is definitely the right career path for me and has motivated me to work harder so I can get there.鈥�

Kular and Tomlinson may be finishing off their placements at the clinic this August, but the positive benefits of their time at Fraser Health will have a lasting impact.

鈥淔or me, the best part about my experience was the people,鈥� says Kular. 鈥淓veryone has been so helpful and welcoming. I鈥檝e built my network and also made friends I鈥檒l keep in touch with.鈥�

鈥淎ll the different people we鈥檝e met has been incredible,鈥� says Tomlinson. 鈥淭his placement has been great work experience, but it鈥檚 also given me memories that I鈥檒l keep for the rest of my career.鈥�