Graduating Year: 2019
Hometown: Richmond, BC
Stream: Interdisciplinary Studies
Employer: CHANGE BC
Position Title: Student Kinesiologist
Kassi has been in Haida Gwaii, BC, enjoying her placement with CHANGE BC for the summer 2018 work term. Her involvement with the team has been extensive and her work varied. “As the co-op student on-site, you facilitate the program in the community. This involves the administration of finding locations for the group, as well as one on one meetings, as well as communicating with the local doctors and reporting to the lead kinesiologist/dietician who is off-site. In the community you are essentially the face of the program and the one who will have the most face-to-face interaction with the patients.”
Kassi is enjoying the human-centric approach to medicine that is unique to the position. “Meeting with each patient in a one-on-one meeting almost every week allows me to develop a good connection with each patient and their individual needs,” she says. “And working closely with the family doctors and a nutritionist means a holistic approach to helping create personalized care and addressing each patient’s specific needs.”
She also enjoys the amount of freedom she has when leading the group sessions each week. “I like to change up the program a little each week and see how the patients respond to different challenges. I also enjoy these sessions because I can see how the group is progressing, not just in terms of physical fitness, but also their comfort around myself and each other and their willingness to try new things.”
For students interested in applying to this position with CHANGE BC, Kassi offers this advice: “It’s a completely unique experience. There is a lot responsibility and independence that is required to complete the work, but it is very rewarding to see the change in people’s lives and to use the skills we learn in class to make a positive impact in a community. It is also an amazing adventure that you may never get the chance to have again.”
