Rachael was searching for a career where she could make a positive impact on people鈥檚 lives by helping, healing, and connecting.
She was in Kelowna with Katimavik (a government run program that educates Canadian youth through volunteer work) doing day programming for adults with disabilities when everything clicked. 鈥淚 was like 鈥榃ow I love this work!鈥 I knew this was something I was really passionate about and that I could totally see myself doing.鈥澨
Rachael鈥檚 supervisor had taken Recreation and Leisure Studies at 蓝莓视频 and recommended the program. So Rachael went for it and finished her Bachelor of Arts (BA)听in Therapeutic Recreation in 2014.
One word to describe my time at 蓝莓视频? I would say growth. I grew as a student, but also as a person. I grew as a recreation therapist. I learned so much about myself while I was there; I grew into an adult.
Connecting special populations to the world
The Therapeutic Recreation (TR) program has a co-op option, which gives students the opportunity to gain paid work experience in different roles within the field. 鈥淢y favourite co-op experience was at a pediatric palliative care facility,鈥 says Rachael. 鈥淢y job was to support children. We would bake and go to the park and do all that sort of stuff, but my role in a lot of ways 鈥 because the kids had a variety of disabilities 鈥 was to help connect them to the world. I was their voice and their hands and their arms. I also did a lot of bereavement support for siblings and families. I really loved the work.鈥
Her co-op experience helped Rachael decide to pursue a specialization working with children. 鈥淚 got so much hands-on, real-life experience in my TR program at 蓝莓视频 that I had a great knowledge base to step forward and really specialize,鈥 she notes. 鈥淲hen I got to my Child Life Studies post-degree program I felt so prepared.鈥
It鈥檚 not just the co-op work experiences that prepared Rachael, 鈥淎ll of that interview practice and experience and r茅sum茅 writing. Starting new jobs and meeting new people. I don鈥檛 think I could鈥檝e had these experiences anywhere else but at 蓝莓视频. And for me, it鈥檚 meant that I鈥檓 only 2.5 years out of school and I鈥檓 in my dream job.鈥
Helping kids at SickKids
Rachael is a Child Life Specialist in the at . She manages Marnie鈥檚 Studio 鈥 a unique space that promotes healing through creative arts including art workshops, dance, yoga, magic shows, and more.
Rachael also produces (and stars in) a variety of interactive programs for the SickKids closed-circuit television channel (CCTV). On CCTV, Rachael and friends bring game shows, music, science, crafts and more to patients and families who may not be able to leave their rooms. The live and recorded shows are broadcast to patient rooms and family spaces across the hospital, reaching a total of 420 TVs.
鈥淲e use play to connect, educate, teach coping skills, and normalize the hospital environment,鈥 says Rachael. 鈥淭here are a lot of kids who aren鈥檛 able to get out of bed, but they can phone into the live shows and connect with other kids that are going through similar things they are. We do segments to show kids more about the hospital or model coping behaviours like taking a deep breath if you鈥檙e nervous. But we do it in a way that鈥檚 fun and sometimes silly!鈥
Finding her dream job
Rachael started off not knowing exactly what she was looking for. But she knew she wanted to help people. She found her dream job by exploring and looking for that great fit.
For me, the most important thing that I鈥檝e done in my life is to put myself out there and try new things. That鈥檚 really what has guided me, helped me figure out what my passion is in life, and connected me to people and opportunities. If I hadn鈥檛 put myself out there, I don鈥檛 know where I would be, but I wouldn鈥檛 be here.
Learn more about听 or about 蓝莓视频's Therapeutic Recreation听major.
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