A total of 121 high school students from across the Darling Downs and South West participated in Aspire2Health sessions during August and September.

The Aspire2Health program seeks to encourage year 10 students to consider a health career and offers interested students the opportunity to become “health professionals for a day”.

The students were totally immersed in the health simulation activities, skills stations and health career discussions and feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

Aspire2Health was held at Kingaroy, Stanthorpe, Warwick, Chinchilla, Goondiwindi, Charleville and Dalby and attracted students from Kingaroy State High School, Saint Mary’s Catholic College, Murgon State High School, Nanango State High School, St Joseph’s College (Stanthorpe), Stanthorpe State High School, Scots PGC, Warwick State High School, Assumption College, School of Total Education, Chinchilla High School, Miles State High School, Goondiwindi State High School, Border Rivers Christian College, Inglewood State School (P-10), Charleville State School, Roma State College, St John’s School, Dalby State High School, Dalby Christian College and Our Lady of the Southern Cross College.

SQRH worked with the Aspire2Health organising committee, the Department of Employment, Small Business and Training, Queensland Rural Medical Education, University of Queensland Rural Clinical School Toowoomba, Queensland Ambulance Service and University of Southern Queensland to bring the program to fruition. Special thanks to the Darling Downs and West Moreton PHN for their funding contribution to this program.