Shining examples

AHS staff support health students at Edmonton youth clinic

For Rachel Synchyshyn and Rebecca Ellis, helping patients doesn’t stop after their regular hours at Alberta Health Services.

Synchyshyn, a pediatric social worker, and Ellis, a registered nurse, are two of about 20 Alberta Health Services employees who teach and supervise University of Alberta health sciences students volunteering at Edmonton’s Shine Youth Clinic.

Operating out of the Boyle McCauley Health Centre, the clinic provides free medical, dental and social services to mostly inner-city residents ages 10 to 25.

About 200 students run the clinic and treat the patients under the guidance of health-care professionals from many fields, including counselling psychology, medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, physiotherapy, social work and nutrition.
 
“Guiding the students is extremely beneficial to the health-care system because they will soon be working professionally and will have the experience of treating a group with a vast range of health issues,” says Synchyshyn.

She knows first-hand. Synchyshyn worked as a student volunteer at the Shine Youth Clinic from 2006 to 2008, before starting her professional career at the Stollery Children’s Hospital.

“I enjoyed the opportunity to understand different practices and how they benefit patients from an early point in my education,” she says. “It made me a more effective social worker today and I think it’s important for other students to have the same experience.”

Ellis concurs.

“Having the opportunity to have basic training in other disciplines is great for students because it prepares them for teamwork in the future and gives them a more well-rounded perspective of the patient’s needs,” says the University of Alberta Hospital nurse.

“I joined to broaden my skills. Working with people in different disciplines gives (me) a unique experience.”

On average, these teachers/supervisors – also known as preceptors – dedicate about four hours every month to Shine, where they’ll supervise one to six students, depending on the discipline. Preceptors receive a competitive honorarium, although many donate this back to the clinic.

More than 300 patients are seen annually through Shine, which is open Saturdays from 2 to 6 p.m. and provides medical, dental and social services; food and winter clothing; and public health education presentations at schools and shelters.

This couldn’t be done without the support of preceptors like Ellis and Synchyshyn, says Shine co-director Samantha Stasiuk.

“We wouldn’t be able to run without their help and we appreciate the opportunities that they provide for both patients and students,” says Stasiuk, a medical student.

“We’re always looking for new preceptors from every health-care discipline.”