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Three dynamic women who have staked out successful careers in the medical industry will inspire your female students to explore new career pathways.Female role models help get this career on the radar of women and girls because they’re able to see someone who looks like them on the job. The video reveals the personal experiences and insights of successful women working in this field. Medical and related industries employ millions of people. Increasing numbers of women are establishing rewarding careers in the traditionally male-dominated medical/health field. |
Career Options for Women -- Medical/Health:
This 24-minute video features profiles of three women with successful careers in medical/healthcare:
- Karine Fortin, a plant manager for a pharmaceutical company
- Sandra Swanson, a biomedical technologist
- Ann Perreault, an orthotics and prosthetics technician.
Additional information from co-workers and supervisors supplements each job profile.
Meet the role models featured in the Medical/Health video:
Karine: Plant Manager
Karine Fortin is a plant manager for a pharmaceutical company. Her role is to ensure that products are being produced within specifications. The equipment used to make the products is highly technical and very sensitive. Product and equipment performance is tested regularly. Karine also plans and manages any factory expansions.
Karine skipped a few grades and graduated from high school at age 15. She wanted to enter the military to be a pilot and get an engineering degree, but was too young. A year later, she went to a technical school that specialized in engineering. Getting high marks in math and physics was a breeze, because she enjoyed the classes.
Karine says that she generally always gets a reaction when she tells people she is an engineer. They seem to be surprised that women are capable of the job. At her first job interview the male interviewer stunned her when he asked if she was afraid to break a nail on the job! As part of Karine's job, she supervises 3 fulltime techs and 2 part time techs. Karine is currently making twice as much as when she started five years ago.
Sandra: Biomedical Technologist
Sandra got into this field with the advice of a close family friend. She gave him a course list from a technical school. He went through it and selected Biomedical Engineering as a field with good pay and a great future. Good call!
Sandra’s advice to women considering this field is to take a year of general sciences first. Visit some hospitals and get a sense of how you would feel about working in that environment. Being a biomedical technician is a really interesting combination of science and high-tech hardware. There are a lot of opportunities to build on in this career.
Ann: Orthotics and Prosthetics Technician
Ann Perreault is an orthotics and prosthetics technician. She is in charge of evaluating and measuring patients. She is also responsible for making and fitting braces. The company that she is currently with offers services in making and supplying braces and prostheses.
Ann knew she wanted to work in the medical field, but didn't want to be a nurse or a doctor. Then she found out that a three-year program was offered with a technical diploma in orthotics and prosthetics.
For Ann, the most rewarding part of her job is being able to help people and improve their quality of life. In the future, she sees herself doing the same job, but perhaps with an emphasis in clinical participation. Her options could include moving into management or operating her own lab. She could also go into other medical work such as physiotherapy, but that would also require more schooling.
Video details:
Run time: 24 minutes total, including three segments of approximately 8 minutes each.
Format: DVD. Closed-captioned.
Year: 2006
Note: Videos are interspersed with Canadian salary and labor statistics, which are similar to the numbers in the United States.
Policies: There is a no-return policy on these videos.
Grade level: Middle School, High School, Two-Year College, Four-Year University
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Three dynamic women who have staked out successful careers in the mining industry will inspire your female students to explore new career pathways.Female role models help get this career on the radar of women and girls because they’re able to see someone who looks like them on the job. This video reveals the personal experiences and insights of successful women working in this field. Mining and related industries employ millions of people. Increasing numbers of women are establishing rewarding careers in the traditionally male-dominated mining field. |
Career Options for Women -- Mining:
This 24-minute video features profiles of three women with successful careers in mining:
- Robin Betker, a mining technician who lays drill patterns for long hole drillers
- Marilène Larocque, Chief Geologist with a mining exploration company
- Shalni Prowse, a grade control technician who monitors ore quality
Additional information from co-workers and supervisors supplements each job profile.
Meet the role models featured in the Mining video:
Robin: Mining Technician
Mine technician Robin Betker spends a lot of her working day down under. She's underground in a mine laying drill patterns for long hole drillers. The drilled holes are packed with dynamite and exploded. The resulting rock fragments are taken away for processing.
Along with the day-to-day elements of her job, Robin likes the social aspect of working with so many different people in the mine. It's a different environment and one that she finds can be a real blast. “It's exciting to work underground. It's a completely different atmosphere and you work with 400 different people.”
Robin took several different courses in college before deciding she wanted a fast track into the work force. That's when she found the mining program at her local technical college. Her future goals include gaining as much experience as possible in all aspects of mining.
Going underground can be a good career move, with plenty of on the job training advancement and a variety of courses available. Robin's position pays about well, working a 40 hour week with shift work. When she's not hiking around the mine, she likes to keep active and take advantage of the great outdoors.
Marilène: Chief Geologist
Geologist Marilène Larocque wanted a career that would take her outdoors, but she couldn't decide between ecology and geology. Geology won out and she's never looked back. Now she's Chief Geologist with a mining exploration company and is responsible for all exploration forays into Northern Quebec.
“You have to be a little bit of the adventurous type to do this work. You have to be resourceful, and you have to be able to combine scientific analysis with physical work.”
Marilène is involved in the exploration end of the mining industry. She works for Socem, a company interested in finding and identifying mineral deposits. Though Marilène really loves the part of her work that takes her outside, she also has a lot of work to do in the office – that's where she does a lot of her primary research and also where she writes all her final reports after her field trips.
When Marilène does field work, it's not limited to looking for rocks and gathering samples. She also has to make the travel arrangements to all those remote locations and secure accommodations and food and all within the budget established for that particular project.
Even if technological advances have made the field work a little safer and a little faster, some things haven't changed. Geologists still have to be in good shape for the weeks of 12 hour days in the wilderness.
Shalni: Grade Control Technician
Grade control technician Shalni Prowse spends a lot of time underground doing quality checks on the ore that miners take out. Ore quality changes as the miners work through an ore vein. It has to be of high enough quality to be mined cost effectively. So when her samples indicate that the ore quality has diminished in one part of the mine, she has the miners move to another location underground. For Shalni, it’s a dirty job but very enjoyable!
“I like it underground. People don't realize how big it is. I've been working there for three years and I still haven't seen the whole mine.”
Shalni earns good pay, which can go up considerably depending on how many weekends she works. Shalni encourages other women to consider a career in mining because it pays well and there are lots of opportunities for women. She says her bosses would like to hire more women, but that women don't apply.
On the surface and off the job, Shalni’s schedule allows her time to pursue many interests, mostly outdoors. She lives in a small community near her family and takes her dog along on most outings.
Video details:
Run time: 24 minutes total, including three segments of approximately 8 minutes each.
Format: DVD. Closed-captioned.
Year: 2006
Note: Videos are interspersed with Canadian salary and labor statistics, which are similar to the numbers in the United States.
Policies: There is a no-return policy on these videos.
Grade level: Middle School, High School, Two-Year College, Four-Year University
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Three dynamic women who have staked out successful careers in the music industry will inspire your female students to explore new career pathways.Female role models help get this career on the radar of women and girls because they’re able to see someone who looks like them on the job. The video reveals the personal experiences and insights of successful women working in this field. Music and related industries employ millions of people. Increasing numbers of women are establishing rewarding careers in the traditionally male-dominated music field. |
Career Options for Women -- Music:
This 24-minute video features profiles of three women with successful careers in music:
- Sandra Schultz, a sound engineer and technician who records and mixes for music producers
- Shelley Park, a guitar builder who produces between 12 and 20 instruments per year
- Alice Bernier, an electronic music composer who works out of her own high-tech studio
Additional information from co-workers and supervisors supplements each job profile.
Meet the role models featured in the Music video:
Sandra: Sound Engineer
One of the first requirements to do Sandra Schultz's job as a sound engineer is that you have to really like music. A sound engineer listens to music all day, over and over and over again. Sandra plays a bit of guitar herself, but is more content "behind the glass", helping to fulfill the dreams of other musicians with her maze of cables and high tech gear.
“It's a lot of fun. Everyone is into the music. They come to you with their dream and hold it out there for you, and you have to be very careful that you don't ‘drop’ it or ‘step’ on it. You are holding their passion.”
Recording and mixing sound is a blend of Sandra's creative and technical abilities. You have to be versatile in this business in order to stay busy however, especially when you're just starting out. Sandra also does contract work as a technician. Becoming an in-demand producer or sound engineer takes a lot of dedication. Sandra s come a long way since she first discovered sound engineering as a volunteer on a university television show. After hundreds and hundreds of volunteer hours and training sessions, she now gets paid for her expertise.
Sandra works on a freelance basis. Quite often she is asked to work on projects on a very short notice. Sometimes she receives phone calls from producers, asking her to work out of town. She will have to pack her bags, leave that night and be ready to start a session the next morning. Depending on a project, Sandra may work up to 18 hours a day straight. After that, there is no guarantee that she will work at all. That's why it is so important to network and be aware of opportunities in the field.
Shelley: Guitar Maker
Custom guitar maker Shelley Park says that you can build two guitars exactly the same way and they'll still sound different. Why? Because of the wood used to make them. Shelley makes specialized gypsy jazz guitars. She got into building guitars as a result of her love of playing the instrument. Shelley took a college course in guitar making and has been making beautiful music, and guitars, ever since.
Shelley shares a workspace with two others and has all the tools required to get the job done. The sound of a busy shop is music to her ears. Shelley owns her own company. From purchasing wood and assembling guitars to shipping her product and taking care of all related business matters, Shelley does it all by herself!
“Wood is amazing! I will be happy as long as I work with wood. Every type of wood has its own personality and I get to work with some of the most beautiful and exotic materials in the world.”
Many of Shelley's clients found out about her work on the Internet. It's ironic that originally Shelley did not take the idea of having a website seriously, but her friend convinced her to get one. It turned out to be a valuable promotional and communication tool.
Shelley works full-time and builds between 12 and 20 guitars a year. Client satisfaction means a great deal to her: when the client is happy, she is happy.
Alice: Electronic Music Composer
Nowadays, you can carry an entire orchestra in a small black box, along with every other sound you can imagine. Electronic Music Composer Alice Bernier's studio isn't much bigger, but her sounds are! Even the most sophisticated instruments in the world are only as good as the people operating them. Alice's finger brings her cyber-musicians to life on CD and the Internet.
Alice would love to see a place where all kids could access the high-tech toys used in her field. When she's not at the keys creating music, Alice is promoting her album. She is working on bringing her music to Europe. Being shy isn't the right mix for Alice's job, so she overcame this aspect of her personality. There was no choice. You have to talk to sell. Thanks to modern technology, she has friends and contacts worldwide.
Alice has been determined to pursue a career in music since she was 12 when she started a rock band in her parents' basement. After working in the music industry professionally, she decided to start her own company. She is now working hard to create music, spending at least 12 hours a day, 7 days a week in her studio.
Video details:
Run time: 24 minutes total, including three segments of approximately 8 minutes each.
Format: DVD. Closed-captioned.
Year: 2006
Note: Videos are interspersed with Canadian salary and labor statistics, which are similar to the numbers in the United States.
Policies: There is a no-return policy on these videos.
Grade level: Middle School, High School, Two-Year College, Four-Year University
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Three dynamic women who have staked out successful careers in the oil and gas industry will inspire your female students to explore new career pathways.Female role models help get this career on the radar of women and girls because they’re able to see someone who looks like them on the job. The video reveals the personal experiences and insights of successful women working in this field. Oil, gas and related industries employ millions of people. Increasing numbers of women are establishing rewarding careers in the traditionally male-dominated oil and gas field. |
Career Options for Women -- Oil and Gas:
This 24-minute video features profiles of three women with successful careers in oil and gas:
- Kandy Hubl, a health, safety, and environmental coordinator for a major gas company
- Melanie Bowman, a power engineer for a busy gas refinery
- Julie Jolicoeur, a project manager who oversees service station design and construction
Additional information from co-workers and supervisors supplements each job profile.
Meet the role models featured in the Oil and Gas video:
Kandy: Health, Safety, and Environmental Coordinator
Kandy Hubl is a health, safety and environmental coordinator for Vista Midstream Solutions, a gas company. Kandy's job is to help ensure her company meets all the industry's environmental and safety regulations. It's a complex job that requires her to understand detailed written requirements and translate them into action on-site.
Kandy likes the independence her job offers. She has freedom to make decisions on her own and gets the satisfaction of taking a project from concept to completion. “It's a great job. I also go out into the field where it's all being done. It's not just all in the office.”
Kandy's job pays well and includes full benefits and stock options. She works an average ten hours a day and even longer if she's working in the field. Kandy plans on staying at Vista Midstream Solutions for a long while. Eventually she may go into consulting. Kandy grew up on a farm with the oil and gas industry right in her back yard, literally. Her knowledge of oil and gas was a great resource once she began a career in the business.
Melanie: Project Manager
Melanie Bowman is a power engineer for an energy company. They take raw gas and process it to make the gas a useable commodity. It's amazing how one's life is changed by mentors in a business. Melanie spent four years working for a financial company before deciding to change careers. She spoke with a power engineering instructor at the local college. She decided to go for it. Good choice! She got hired at the Alberta Energy Company (AEC) right after graduation.
Melanie's future goals include remaining at AEC. She would like to get her second class steam ticket and become a board operator. “The best thing about my job is the versatility. No two days are alike and you can work indoors or outdoors.”
Safety is definitely number one with this company. Melanie's work requires many specific qualifications but if you're looking to get into a career like this, rest assured that students can get on-the-job work experience with companies like AEC. There are a lot of jobs in this field.
Julie: Electronic Oil and Gas Composer
These days when you pull into a service station it's not just a matter of fueling up. You can shop for groceries, get some fast food, do your banking, you name it. It's all about marketing to the customer, and service stations are designed with that in mind. Working behind the scenes is Julie Jolicoeur, a project manager for Imperial Oil. Julie manages service station construction projects from the development process through to completed construction.
Julie makes a very good living and her project management skills could get her a job in almost any other industry. “It might seem simple, but I am always proud to have realized the entire project when it comes to an end.”
A lot of detail is the nature of Julie Jolicoeur’s job. During the construction work Julie will visit the site frequently. She checks the quality of the work and makes sure it is on time and on budget. Julie’s job doesn’t end with the completed construction. She does follow up for the next year, to ensure everything is working properly.
Video details:
Run time: 24 minutes total, including three segments of approximately 8 minutes each.
Format: DVD. Closed-captioned.
Year: 2006
Note: Videos are interspersed with Canadian salary and labor statistics, which are similar to the numbers in the United States.
Policies: There is a no-return policy on these videos.
Grade level: Middle School, High School, Two-Year College, Four-Year University
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Three dynamic women who have staked out successful careers in protective services will inspire your female students to explore new career pathways.Female role models help get this career on the radar of women and girls because they’re able to see someone who looks like them on the job. The video reveals the personal experiences and insights of successful women working in this field. Protective services and related industries employ millions of people. Increasing numbers of women are establishing rewarding careers in the traditionally male-dominated protective services field. Role Model Videos: Career Options for Women -- Protective Services
$99 
Item #: EDV66 |
Career Options for Women -- Protective Services:
This 24-minute video features profiles of three women with successful careers in protective services:
- Capt. Jamie Speiser, a Griffon helicopter pilot who has flown missions in Bosnia and Haiti
- Sylvie Nault, a Royal Canadian Mounted Police constable
- Shauna Vollmer, a fire protection designer working for a large fire prevention contractor
Additional information from co-workers and supervisors supplements each job profile.
Meet the role models featured in the Protective Services video:
Jamie: Helicopter Pilot
Jamie Speiser is a captain in the Air Force. She joined the military because she wanted the opportunity to help others, primarily through peacekeeping efforts and now flies Griffon helicopters and serves as an information systems officer and squadron harassment officer. As a helicopter pilot, her main role is to support the army. The army has mission requests - including troop and cargo transport, reconnaissance, command and liaison (liaison between units), and medical evacuations. Missions can be tactical (into enemy territory) but are mostly utility missions (administrative - peace-time work). Jamie has flown assistance on the Saguenay floods and Ice Storm ‘98. She has also been to Bosnia and Haiti.
Jamie went to the Royal Military College in Kingston and acquired a Bachelors degree in computer engineering in 1994. After university, she took pilot training at Shearwater, Nova Scotia and Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, flying small jets and then helicopters. Jamie received her wings in Portage La Prairie in 1996. Jamie has often wondered why there aren't more women in the military. Her theory is that women generally aren't aware that the military is open to them. She believes that the military is a great career for those who seek challenges, travel, adventure, and a way to test personal limits. The military may seem intimidating to women, but to Jamie, it seemed exciting. She admits it requires hard work but you get a free education and are paid while you go to school!
If Jamie switched to a civilian life, she could become an engineer. As an officer, she has also acquired managerial skills that could be applied in the private sector. As a pilot though, she would have a pay drop in civilian life, and then have to work her way up again. The career potential is also unlimited.
Sylvie: Police Constable
Sylvie Nault is a general duty constable for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). She responds to 911 and service calls from the public. Constables do pretty much anything - from dealing with barking dogs to armed robberies.
After graduating from high school, Sylvie went to college. She is only a few courses short of degrees in Physical Education, Physiotherapy and Criminology. While the RCMP only requires prospective recruits to have only a high school diploma, a post-secondary schooling would help your chances of being recruited. There are a number of rewards with this job. Sylvie says, “I would have to honestly say when you bring someone to justice…it’s cliché, but it's hoping that you've made a difference. Plus, in the job, you have a lot of freedom…you're part of a team but you still work independently.”
The number of women in the force is increasing rapidly. For example, the next five recruits that will be arriving in Sylvie's detachment are all women. RCMP start off as constables and then go to Corporal, Sergeant, Staff Sergeant, and then Inspector. Many officers that leave the force become investigators or security advisors in the private sector.
“I would encourage anyone who wants to do this. It is challenging and nontraditional. You should stay fit and stay focused on your goals.”
Shauna: Fire Protection Designer
Shauna Vollmer is a fire protection designer for Vipond Fire Protection. Shauna's interest in fire protection was first sparked when three kids from her community were injured in a fire. Today, Shauna designs protection systems for structures ranging from small apartment buildings to large industrial complexes. What continues to motivate her is a burning desire to ensure that no-one suffers from the devastating effects of a fire.
She is presently a Service Manager, and her job entails providing a large customer base with emergency service, inspections, maintenance and alterations to their fire protection systems as per their individual needs. She schedules crews of technicians and provides both the technicians and customers with technical fire code support.
Shauna took a two-year diploma program in Engineering Design and Drafting Technology at Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT). Fifteen percent of the students were women in her program.
In Shauna's job, the work is very fast paced with a high volume of jobs ongoing at any given time. There are no breaks between jobs and therefore no time to reorganize, clean up paperwork or take a breather before the next project starts. She is also on call with a pager and cell phone 24 hours a day -- and that takes some getting used to at first. Although her fire protection skills are pretty specific and possibly limiting, Shauna still believes that there are other opportunities in research, consulting and education (both technical and public). She also knows that she always has her design and computer drafting skills to fall back on that could lead her into other types of work in the future.
$99
Item #: EDV66
Video details:
Run time: 24 minutes total, including three segments of approximately 8 minutes each.
Format: DVD. Closed-captioned.
Year: 2006
Note: Videos are interspersed with Canadian salary and labor statistics, which are similar to the numbers in the United States.
Policies: There is a no-return policy on these videos.
Grade level: Middle School, High School, Two-Year College, Four-Year University
