New High School Course Supports Students Interested in Health Care Careers

CANADA, March 24 - Released on March 24, 2026

High school students in Saskatchewan have a new pathway to explore careers in health care with the launch of Health Careers 20L, an innovative course giving high school students early exposure to potential career opportunities in the province's health care sector.

Developed for high school students by Saskatchewan Distance Learning Centre (Sask DLC) in direct collaboration with the Ministry of Health, the Virtual Health Hub and Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Health Careers 20L will give high school students insight into what today's health care professionals do in the field and allows them to make informed decisions about future post-secondary education options and career plans.

"The launch of Health Careers 20L responds to growing interest among young people in health care professions and provides opportunities for them to make career discoveries early on,” Minister Responsible for Sask DLC Everett Hindley said. "This course is about helping students get their best start to post-secondary education, and supports long-term workforce awareness by introducing the diverse roles available in the sector here in Saskatchewan.”

Students taking Health Careers 20L will be introduced to a wide range of health care careers including nursing and patient care, medical diagnostics and technologies, pharmacy, dentistry, mental wellness and addictions and emergency care. Students will also be introduced to the responsibilities of emerging health care professions, including Physician Assistant and Virtual Health Care Assistant.

In addition to introducing students to a wide range of health care careers, Health Careers 20L will help students build employability skills, professional awareness and an understanding of patient-centered care in both patient-facing and non-patient-facing roles. Students will gain a fundamental understanding of health care systems, professional roles, ethics, safety and communication.

The launch of Health Careers 20L supports the Ministry of Health's Health Human Resources Action Plan mandate to recruit, train, incentivize and retain health care professionals in Saskatchewan by providing high school students with introductory exposure to career opportunities in health care.  It also aligns with the province's new Patient First Health Care Plan that commits to expand and focus training opportunities for Saskatchewan students. 

"Our government is putting patients first by offering more opportunities for Saskatchewan students interested in pursuing a career in health care," Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill said. "Engaging high school students and adult learners will help them gain exposure to a wide range of experience and open further opportunities including job shadowing, employment within a health care setting and financial incentives."

Health Careers 20L is available through Sask DLC to all students in grades 10-12, no matter where they live in the province, beginning in the 2026-27 school year. As a locally developed course supported by the Ministry of Education, school divisions also have the option to offer Health Careers 20L to students in their schools, further supporting access to this course.

To learn more about Health Careers 20L and other Sask DLC courses available for the 2026-27 school year, or to register, go to saskDLC.ca. 

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