Fifty local learners recently visited the 4th University of Cape Town (UCT) Health Sciences Specific Career Day to learn more about a career in the sector.
The Primary Health Care Directorate (PHCD), Department of Family, Community and Emergency Care facilitated the event, held in May at the Vredenburg Provincial Hospital, which focussed mainly on Grade 11 and Grade 12 learners.
Prior to Covid the career day was an annual event aimed at learners with the necessary high school subjects needed to embark on studies towards a career in Health Sciences.
Taking this initiative to the Saldanha Bay sub-district remains a strategy of the PHCD team in Vredenburg, to attract local leaners to careers in medicine, audiology, speech language pathology, occupational therapy and physiotherapy at UCT, as well as careers in laboratory sciences, nursing, dentistry, oral hygiene, human nutrition, emergency services and radiography.
UCT hopes that this initiative will result in students eventually returning to their communities as skilled health professionals able to make a difference in the local health services. This initiative has already resulted in at least three learners from local schools proceeding to complete degrees in Health Sciences at UCT’s Faculty of Health Sciences. Applications are currently open to Grade 12 leaners at UCT, until 31 July.
Further application details can be found at https://uct.ac.za/students/applications-apply-undergraduate-qualifications/application-procedure
