Tag: Facultyofhealthsciences

Animal Care a stepping stone to dream job at Toronto Zoo

Posted on June 5, 2025 at 9:34 am.

Graduate Spotlight: Griffin Yan

Working at the Toronto Zoo has always been a dream job for Griffin Yan.

Though he spent years at the popular tourist destination in guest operations, his true goal was to work with the animals themselves. With that in mind, he enrolled in the Animal Care program at Durham College (DC). After excelling in the program, and before he even officially graduated, he nabbed a coveted role taking care of the animals at the zoo.

He spoke to us about his love for the zoo, pursuing his dream job and why students should make all the connections they can while in school.

Why did you decide to attend Durham College?

I had been working at the Toronto Zoo previously, in a guest facing role. I ended up leaving, and I started work in another field, but I wasn’t super happy with it. Animal care was always something that I wanted to pursue, and I had heard of quite a few colleagues that had pursued the Durham College program. It was nice and close, and I’d heard great things about it.

What was your DC experience like?

It was a fantastic experience. I thought all of the classes were great and relevant. The instructors were all fantastic, and they really made the experience a lot better. It was only one year, so it was really short, but in that year I became really close with all my instructors and our cohort was really great. I made lots of friends.

How did your DC program prepare you for your career?

It was nice, because it gave me another perspective. Having worked at the zoo for quite a long time, I had a good idea of how it worked. But the DC program is heavily geared towards the veterinary side of things, which really opened my eyes to a whole other perspective of animal care. That was valuable experience to gain. And my field placement was awesome. I went and worked at Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary, so I got to work with monkeys, which was really cool. The instructors were fantastic, and having that resource was the biggest thing for me. I’m a big advocate for always having lots of connections.

What’s your new job at the Toronto Zoo like?

I’m responsible for basically all of the daily husbandry of the animals in my particular area. I’m assigned to the Outer Savannah, which is essentially one section of the African Savannah section. I’m not signed off with all of them, because some of them are classified as dangerous, but the animals that we work with are giraffes, hippos, baboons, cheetahs, lions, hyenas and hornbills. We do feeding, training, and cleaning and maintenance of the exhibits. It’s been really cool, and I’m super fired up to finally be a part of it.

Would you recommend your DC program to other students?

100%. It was great. You have a relatively personal experience with your instructors, at least if you seek that out. It’s nice and short, so for those people trying to fly through it, that’s obviously a benefit. I really had a lot of fun with it. The labs were enjoyable and the content was great.

What is your advice for future students?

The biggest piece of advice I would give is to get close with the instructors. They work in the field, so they have all the experience and there’s an endless wealth of knowledge that they have. Take advantage of that and use those connections that you build through the program.

What do you love most about DC?

Our cohort was really great, so I managed to make a ton of friends throughout my time in the program. The relationships and the friendships that I built was probably my favorite part. And the connections with those instructors; I can’t really stress how valuable I find that. It was a really tight community.

How do you feel about graduating?

I’m excited. I’ve bounced around a lot from school and different jobs and things like that, so it feels nice to finally be on the path.

What are your future goals?

My hope is to stick it out at the zoo. I grew up a massive zoo fan. I was always obsessed with the zoo. I always dreamed about working with animals. That was really my goal growing up and I had sort of abandoned that goal, so getting to come back to it has been awesome.

Every year, DC celebrates thousands of career-ready graduates. Read more grad stories about how DC has helped them thrive.

DC Spa offers a great experience for clients and students alike

Posted on February 4, 2025 at 1:57 pm.

Love a good spa treatment? Massages, facials and pedicures are among the services you can experience at the Durham College (DC) Spa, while also providing students the opportunity with real-world experience that will help their career progression.

For students in the Cosmetic Techniques and Management, Esthetician – Spa Management and Massage Therapy programs, the DC Spa provides an opportunity to put the techniques and customer service skills they’ve been building in class into practice.

“They get that hands-on, real-world perspective,” said Leslie Morris, Spa Manager. “In the classroom when they’re learning techniques, they’re working peer to peer so everyone’s mostly in the same age group. But diversity really starts to broaden when they work on paying clients—people are giving feedback, and all of that soft skill training comes into play.”

If you’ve ever been a client at the DC Spa, you know that’s a special experience too. Serving the wider community, the Spa sees a diverse group of people each week from retirees to DC employees. Top service choices include massages, facials, pedicures, facials and shellac manicures. Clients trade a slightly longer treatment time that allows students to learn and practice for really affordable prices ($13.50 for a manicure! $35 for a massage! See the rest of the pricing on their website at www.durhamcollegespa.ca). Massages, for example, are 75 minutes including both assessment and consultation time as well as the actual treatment.

“It’s a clinical practice, so students are creating a treatment plan based on needs and assessment,” explained Morris. Often the treatment recommendation involves multiple sessions, usually a maximum of three before clients are passed along to another student massage therapist.

Given the treatment options and pricing, it’s not surprising to learn that the DC Spa tends to book up fast. “The word is out about our spa,” said Morris. “We can see 40 to 60 people a day (100 a week), so there’s quite a bit of volume. Massage in particular books up and becomes waitlisted, and some people even plan when they want to come for whole semester, so they get preferred booking.”

While the online booking platform is easy to use, the Spa still takes in-person bookings and even walk-ins when available. The Spa’s top-quality products are available for purchase in its retail store, complimentary parking is available, and yes, they do sell gift certificates.

Morris says that clients come from all over—besides regulars, the past week’s customers included a police officer from Toronto who stopped in for a massage, and a first-year student who enjoyed her first facial enough to bring her mom along the second time. Compliments are also a regular feature at the spa, said Morris, reading from a recent client email. “I just wanted to reach out and compliment the amazing experience students at the Spa have created. I recently got my nails done there, and the student was amazing. She was so kind and took extra care during every part of the manicure. I just wanted to share that she created an amazing experience there, and I wanted to formally reach out to express what good work was done.”

Find out more about DC Spa including pricing and booking at www.durhamcollegespa.ca.

Animal Care grad begins new career pathway at Durham College

Posted on December 5, 2024 at 3:02 pm.

Durham College (DC) Animal Care graduate Rebeca Martiniello’s decision to return to school after the pandemic has landed her just where she wanted to be: working in an animal hospital and preparing to take the next step in her career trajectory as she takes on more training in September to become a veterinary technician.

Out of school for nine years, Martiniello had been working in the childcare industry when the pandemic hit. While she liked working with children, her lifelong love of animals meant she always knew she wanted to work with them. Yet in early job applications to animal care facilities, she got no response. She realized that retraining would help and started looking into programs.

Many friends recommended DC because of their own positive experiences. She also appreciated the program’s affordability and hand-on nature. “Last year felt like the right time, the right moment to make a new start of the school year,” said Martiniello. With the option to begin in January, she was pleased to be able to start her studies right away rather than waiting until the fall.

The January start also meant that her second term would be in the summer, something that Martiniello said led to some surprising bonuses.

“I personally enjoyed that because I’m not a big summer person, so being able to do my placement in peak season for wildlife, I got to experience more of that environment,” she said.

Another discovery was her Wildlife and Exotic Animals class, something she was not expecting. “Wildlife was my favourite class. The teacher was awesome, and we had an assignment going out and engaging with the world, so had to go out to a forest or park, and observe the birds, animals, and trees, then identify everything in reference books for class,” recalls Martiniello, adding that she also enjoyed the Animal Handling and Restraint and the Domestic Animal Science courses for their practical applications.

Martiniello was also elated to make a good connection with a teacher who supported her through the program and recommended her to her current workplace, an animal hospital in York region. Now she’s getting to put into practice all that she learned in class, bringing animals back for veterinary technicians’ treatments from vaccines to nail trims to ear cleanings, and helping veterinarians prepare for surgery. She also runs blood work after technicians have done blood draws, and helps with scheduling pet patient appointments using a common software program she learned in the program.

“Everything that I’m doing, it’s identical to what we learned,” said Martiniello.

At DC, Martiniello said she felt very supported with accommodations she found through the Student Academic Learning Services (SALS). “As someone who has an Independent Education Plan (IEP), I used accommodations, and without that support and those counsellors I would have struggled a lot more. My counsellor was wonderful, I felt safe with the IEP I had, and whenever I had questions or concerns, she always made the time for me,” said Martiniello. “They offered a lot of resources in terms of mental health, study strategies, bursaries to qualify for, and when I chose certain ones, they took the time to walk me through that completely,” she added.

With her new job and her plan to gain further training as a vet technician at another college in September, Martiniello said she is grateful for the opportunity she found at DC. “This is all because of experience the Animal Care program offered me, the confidence to feel I could go back to school.”

Training future frontline responders: DC paramedic program prioritizes mental health and well-being

Posted on May 24, 2024 at 2:32 pm.

Paramedics are the frontline responders in medical emergencies, bridging the critical gap between the scene of an incident and hospital care. Their expertise, quick thinking, and compassion save countless lives every day, making them indispensable in times of crisis.

At Durham College (DC), we train the next generation of first responders in the Paramedic diploma program. This dynamic program helps students build the diverse skill set needed to succeed, and includes clinical and field placements as well as experiential learning opportunities – such as our annual emergency simulation exercise – to maximize hands-on learning within the field. A key focus is also supporting the mental health and well-being of not only community members but the paramedics themselves, given the stressful, high-intensity work that they do.

As we recognize Paramedic Services Week, we caught up with three of DC’s paramedic students – Sofia Mingram Romero, Remiel kit Manlapig, and Manav Patel – to learn more about their experience in the program.

Sofia Mingram Romero
With her love for photography and passion for capturing life through her lens, Sofia realized she wanted to be able to support life in other ways, too. When she witnessed a medical emergency while working, she was able to help, but realized there were more advanced skills she might need in the future. That’s when she decided to return to DC, where she had previously graduated from the Advertising and Promotion program, to pursue a new career as a paramedic.

What she values most in the program is how modernization and holistic care are redefining the profession.

“There has been a significant change in the way paramedics help those experiencing mental health issues, so there is a need to consider the complexities in people’s lives and how to best help them,” she said.

In addition to acknowledging the need to help people with their mental health needs, the program prioritizes the mental health and well-being of its students.

“In this role, we experience a lot of stressful and challenging situations. Sharing our experiences and being vulnerable while working together is critical to ensure we are getting the help and support we need.”

Remiel kit Manlapig
While studying Emergency Services Fundamentals at another institution, Remiel transitioned to the paramedic program at DC because he was looking for something more fast-paced, while remaining in the medical profession. He said the exceptional support from faculty and the round the clock accessibility of paramedic resources such as labs were among the key reasons he chose the program.

Like Sofia, Remiel values the mental health supports available in the program. Peer support groups are offered for each cohort, and Remiel is a designated member who is responsible for looking out for peers when they face something overwhelming.

After graduation, Remiel is considering becoming a community paramedic, a non-emergency service provider who supports public health and preventative services. There are opportunities for students to participate in this type of paramedic work through their field placements.

“DC is leading the way with stationing its community paramedics in locations such as the Back Door Mission to extend help to the homeless as well as provide critical care to those in need at their homes,” he said.

Manav Patel
As a soon-to-be graduate of the Paramedic program, Manav said the most valuable aspect of the program for him was the opportunity to connect and interact with professional first responders through placements.

“I take inspiration from those professionals and can leverage the experiences into my own training and learning. They’re all willing to teach you,” he said.

“One of the best things that we have through the program is that even the teachers are very aware of how our mental health does impact our education.”

The importance of nurturing both physical health and emotional resilience is a key takeaway from the program.

He enjoys how every day is different and brings opportunities to learn new things.

Personal Support Worker program rewarding for people who want to help others

Posted on March 27, 2024 at 3:07 pm.

A career as a personal support worker is a commitment to helping people, which is what drew Amber Wills of Orono to the one-year Personal Support Worker program at Durham College (DC).

“It was generally the aspect of helping people, that’s what I wanted to do my whole life,” she explains.

She was working as a manager at a restaurant when she decided to explore college programs and applied to DC because of the large placement component, where students complete more than 300 hours of placement before graduating giving them confidence to provide essential care in the community.

Wills said that before embarking on their first placement, students learn important skills in the lab, practicing on mannequins.

“They teach you all the skills in the lab before you even go out into the field, which is amazing,” she said.

In the labs students learn things like feeding people, how to roll people in bed and how to safely transfer a person from a bed to a wheelchair while supporting them.

Wills said her placements have included a long-term care setting and an adult day program and said her classmates enjoy their placement opportunities.

“They really like being out in the field and I think it’s really great that we can take our skills that we learned and practice them while we’re still in school and we can ask questions and make sure that we’re doing everything correctly.”

Wills said she also appreciated improving her communication skills at DC.

“As somebody who wasn’t great with communicating in high school—I had a lot of anxiety growing up—they taught me to break out of my shell and start conversations with people and continue conversations and I’ve been able to bring that into my every-day life as well.”

Overall, Wills said DC’s PSW program is a great entry into health care.

“You learn about diseases and illnesses, you learn about mental health, general anatomy and how the body works, and just in general you get a good foundation in the medical field.”

But the most important reason to pursue a career as a personal support worker is wanting to help others, said Wills.

“If that’s what somebody wants to do, if they want to help people, they will really enjoy it no matter what.”

Find out more about DC’s Personal Support Worker program and apply for May 2024!