BOYLE — One Village of Boyle councillor is making advance preparations for an upcoming opportunity to showcase the community and its attractions to future doctors and healthcare staff this fall.
Coun. Shelby Kiteley, the village’s representative on the Regional Healthcare Attraction and Retention Committee, informed fellow councillors during their July 17 meeting of a two-day post-secondary skills competition taking place in Athabasca.
“I was really impressed we were included,” said Kiteley, who said during a sub-committee meeting on the event, Athabasca Mayor Rob Balay advocated for Boyle’s involvement in the event.
The healthcare students will be welcomed into Athabasca October 25 and will spend the Friday and Saturday engaging with the community and shadowing staff at the Athabasca Healthcare Centre.
Thanks to Balay and Kiteley’s advocacy, the students will also be stopping in the village on Sunday, Oct. 27, for more community engagement and an introduction to the healthcare facilities in Boyle.
“We want to highlight our region, so we can take them on a tour through town, show them the hospital, the clinic, the EMS building,” said Kiteley. “But I want to highlight that we have a lake five minutes away, that we have golfing, that we have sports,” she added.
She pitched heading up the creation of a slideshow video featuring photos of all the good things Boyle has to offer, including recreation facilities, seasonal events, and the strong sense of community spirit.
“They can watch that before or after lunch, after Colin dazzles them with his speech that he’s gonna give,” said Kiteley, a comment that earned an eyebrow raised in surprise and a chuckle from Derko.
“I would say that’s a great idea. I like your idea of the slideshow because you’re doing a tour of the whole area, which they wouldn’t get to do even if they are on a bus,” said Derko.
“You’re not gonna be able to go to the Skeleton Lake Golf Course and to the lakes in October … but you can get some great shots throughout the summer,” he added.
In addition to the tour of the hospital and clinic, and the virtual tour of the village, students will get to enjoy a catered lunch, courtesy of the Rural Health Professions Action Plan (RhPAP).
“We’ll have thirty future doctors and nurses in our community, so we want to make the most of it,” Kiteley added.
