Dozen tips

It is often helpful to have a mixture of male and female RHC members on the visit. This is particularly important if visiting Indigenous schools due to cultural reasons. However even in non-Indigenous schools, male and female students tend to interact more with a same-sex RHC member.

Your first RHSV is always a daunting experience. It can be quite difficult to know how to initiate interaction with 15 and 16 year olds and then later deal with their rapidly fading attention spans! Having someone on the visit that has facilitated one previously is the best way to ensure that the RHSV runs smoothly.  It decreases the anxiety for other RHC members and allows them to focus on enjoying themselves and interacting with students.   It works well when the experienced member facilitates the group from the front of the room and the rest of the RHC members spread themselves amongst the students.

A Gutsy Gus (an anatomical model) is one of the most useful props that you can take on a RHSV. He is an immediate talking point for students of any age and helps to centre students’ attention on why we’re actually there – to talk about health careers. His innards can be the focus of ice-breaking questions but can also be used to help educate the younger age groups about healthy living. Besides, Gutsy Gus is fantastic and lively company on those long road trips!

The school principal, careers teacher or health education teacher/school nurse are your gateway to high school students. Arranging a RHSV can either be a breeze or a nightmare depending on your school’s contact person. Some teachers are particularly reluctant to allow a group of university students into their classrooms. Others can’t wait to have a free session! 

It is extremely important that when making initial contact you introduce yourself, your club, the purpose of the visit and the time involved. Written forms of communication are generally more accessible to the teachers and mean that you can check that you have conveyed all the information before you post/email it. Send the introduction letter to a number of contacts at the school. Contacts for schools can generally be found on the internet, by ringing the local council or by asking other careers teachers for which you already have details. 

In extremely difficult groups or amongst non-English speaking students, the hands on equipment will be your lifesaver. If Gutsy Gus and ice-breaking questions haven’t brought the students to life, this will! Take with you anything that high school students can use or sample that cannot be damaged or broken. Some examples include stethoscopes, tendon hammers, wobble boards, strapping tape, plaster, thickened fluids and blood pressure cuffs. Approach your university department and ask them if they have any spare or old equipment that you can take with you. You can also contact the NRHN for these items. Other options include writing to companies asking for sponsorship.

The “hands on” interaction works brilliantly for all age groups and demographics. Students are able to experience a snippet of what different health professionals do on a daily basis and can engage in one-on-one interaction with the healthcare students. Unfortunately, this can also quickly become the most chaotic part of the session if not structured correctly. Spread yourselves around the room and engage small groups with your equipment.

RHSVs are your opportunity to educate and expose high school students to a variety of health careers. Use the internet and talk to healthcare professionals at your hospital or community health centre. Not only are you getting information about the careers from the horse’s mouth, you are also broadening your own understanding of multidisciplinary health. If you are a club with members of one discipline only you can invite other RHCs to join you on your RHSV or invite healthcare professionals from the rural town you are visiting to participate in the workshop. It is also useful to contact universities in the state or neighbouring states and find out what healthcare courses they offer. Older high school students love collecting information to take away and read and universities are more than happy to send out brochures!

Rural towns revolve around sport and consequently, most high school students, even females, are in touch with sporting events and are keen supporters of footy. Asking students fun, interactive sporting questions shows them that you are not just there to lecture them and that you are in fact human – not some super brain! Footy questions have the ability to excite even the most quiet and reserved school students! 

We all love freebies and high school students are no exception. Particularly among Aboriginal students, small prizes (pens, rulers, keyrings) encourage interaction with the facilitators. Students also love footy gear so approach the AFL and Rugby clubs in your state and ask for any old stock. Take old club merchandise or contact local businesses in your area requesting merchandise to hand out. For a healthy alternative try handing out apples and oranges as immediate prizes. Your local green grocer can be a great supporter! To minimise disruption, only distribute the DoHA showbags at the end of the session as rustling bags can be extremely distracting!

There is nothing more motivating than encountering a passionate and enthusiastic presenter. We want school students to consider health careers so we need to show them how fantastic they are and at the same time be honest. Do not lie about the workload or the things with which you struggle. Similarly, offer advice as to how you coped with the challenges of tertiary study and volunteer information about the fun and exciting aspects of the course.   Teenagers are more likely to interact with someone who shares all sides of the story than one who simply paints a rosy picture – they are not that naïve!

Contact the NRHSN when you are advertising for students to participate in a RHSV. The NRHSN can help link you up with other clubs and that may also be interested in joining in on your RHSV. What better way to get a truly multidisciplinary RHSV team and do some inter-university socialising as well!