Today, the Youth BIOlab Jeunesse within St. Boniface Hospital Research hosted students from the Indigenous Student Work Experience Program (ISWEP). Stephen Jones, the Director, led a session on heart disease and tissue engineering, utilizing live cardiac fibroblast cells in the morning and conducting a pig heart dissection in the afternoon.
St. Boniface Hospital is in the second year of ISWEP, a 17-week internship designed to provide Indigenous youth with invaluable skills and exposure to the diverse world of healthcare. This year, the program has doubled in size, welcoming eleven Grade 11 and 12 students from the River East Transcona School Division.
The ISWEP internship offers a comprehensive experience that goes beyond typical job shadowing. Students engage in rotations through various clinical and non-clinical departments across the hospital, exploring different specialties and broadening their understanding of the healthcare sector. This hands-on experience is crucial in helping them shape their future career paths. The program is a vital step in responding to the health directives outlined in the 94 Calls to Action. A key objective of ISWEP is to increase the representation of Indigenous peoples in all positions across the St. Boniface Hospital campus.
