By:Emtenan, PLANS Co-op program participant

My name is Emtenan and this is my first year with PLANS (Promoting Leadership in Health for African Nova Scotians) as well as my first ever Cooperative placement. I am thrilled to share my experience as a PLANS Co-op student with others!

When I registered for my school’s Co-op course, I wasn’t sure what career I would like to follow as a Co-op placement. I had various ideas such as nursing,dentistry, or even pharmacy. One thing I knew for certain, I really wanted to pursue a career that is health-related. After expressing my concern that I didn’t know what career I would like to choose for my Co-op placement, my teacher had informed me about PLANS Co-op placement. I was told that it’s a Co-op placement for African Nova Scotian youth that are interested in pursuing a career in health/science but aren’t sure exactly what career. This program is designed to allow students to explore various health careers that may be of interest to them. I was glad to hear of this program as this program seemed to be perfect for my particular situation. I had joined PLANS in hopes to further my knowledge of health-related careers in hopes to find a career I love that I can pursue.

My most notable experience as a PLANS Co-op student is definitely the time when faculty, professionals and students from Health Sciences had visited and Respiratory Therapists allowed us, students, the opportunity to practice intubating on a mannequin . Being able to use the tools that real Respiratory Therapists use to simulate how to assist patients in breathing had made me feel very professional, almost as if I was a Respiratory Therapist. Being fortunate enough to have hands-on based activities had made me learn so much more about intubation as well as make the activity that much more engaging. I’m not sure if I could properly explain how much enjoyment I had when I was capable of getting the mannequin to breathe.

My time as a PLANS Co-op student has undoubtedly encouraged me to pursue a career in health/ science fields as well as develop a passion for health by introducing me to various diverse health-related careers. I’m very fortunate that PLANS has given me the opportunity to learn of many interesting health-related careers that I hadn’t heard of prior to participating in this program. PLANS has further encouraged me to pursue a career in the health/ science fields by addressing the application process for these programs as it can be intimidating. Furthermore, this program has provided significantly valuable information in applying for scholarships as financial aid can be a barrier to pursuing such careers.