Stakeholders Pleased with Interest of Youth in Health Careers

Key stakeholders in health and education are anticipating an uptick in interest in careers in health among young people, coming out of the recent staging of the Career Expo and Employment Fair.

Held at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona Campus in St. Andrew, the event afforded members of the public the opportunity to apply for the more than 600 job vacancies island wide, which have been advertised.

The positions range from records and research officers to monitoring and evaluation officers, drivers, office attendants and accountants, managers and directors in programme management, doctors, nurses, psychologists, and more.

The event, which attracted thousands of students, also provided an opportunity for young people to be exposed to career paths in the health sector.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Dr. Kasan Troupe, said she was pleased to see the large turnout of students.

“School leaders saw it fit to send out our students, to expose them, to excite them for careers in health,” she said.

Noting that the Education Ministry partnered with the Health and Wellness Ministry to stage the event, she said it is anticipated that “our young people will be able to access those jobs that are available and serve our own Jamaicans, serving in this national development thrust”.

Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie, noted that the health sector is diverse, offering many career opportunities for young people beyond clinical areas.

She cited professions in environmental health, public health, nutrition and dietetics, and physiotherapy.

“We have radiology, we have customer service kind of jobs, medical records jobs; we have a lot of opportunities that are there. Nursing, of course, is a huge opportunity for a lot of persons because it does give you the ability to transfer into other areas,” she noted.

“I am really heartened to see the number of young people. I hope that they become knowledgeable about what is available in health, and I really think that our health industry can propel our young people,” the CMO told JIS News.

Medical Officer of Health at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI), Dr. Carl Bruce, for his part, noted that a lot of new professions are emerging in the healthcare industry and “we are excited”.

“We need to seize those opportunities and we need to train for these new professionals, otherwise we will fall behind in patient care. We are excited about the scholarships [for tertiary level programmes in health], and as a training institution we want to work with the [Health] Ministry to ensure that the public benefits,” Dr. Bruce told JIS News.

Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) Country Representative, Ian Stein, was pleased at the “tremendous variety of departments and opportunities” presented at the employment expo and job fair.

He said the interest of the young people “gives a great sense of hope” for the future of the country’s healthcare sector.