The road to success has led Ashley Dercach across the country.

This summer, the Brock Applied Health Sciences student, originally from Pelly, Sask., made the long trip from St. Catharines to St. John’s, N.L., to pursue a placement in pediatric therapeutic recreation.

With the support of her department’s experiential education co-ordinators, Dercach headed east after landing a position at the Janeway Children’s Hospital — one of only a few sites offering placement opportunities in her chosen field.

Brock, which has earned a reputation as one of Canada’s premier institutions for experiential education, sees dozens of Applied Health Sciences students pursuing out-of-province opportunities each year.

Brock Applied Health Sciences student Ashley Dercach is spending the summer completing an experiential placement in St. John’s, N.L.

For Dercach, it was a combination of the hospital’s excellent reputation and her desire to spend some time living in one of Canada’s Atlantic provinces that made the move an easy decision.

She packed up her cat, Oliver, and made the 3,000-kilometre drive from her house in St. Catharines to her summer accommodation in Petty Harbour Maddox Cove, N.L.

Prior to her time at Brock, Dercach spent a few years working in the mental health sector in Alberta and Saskatchewan. She initially obtained a health sciences degree, with a specialization in addictions counselling, from the University of Lethbridge, Alta., before pursuing a second degree at Brock.

“I saw how recreation could positively affect youth,” she said. “I looked at a few options for continuing my education and the Brock therapeutic recreation program seemed perfect.”

Dercach was also drawn to the experiential placement portion of the program and the ability to work alongside a team of professionals in her chosen field.

“I work with an interdisciplinary team in an outpatient pediatric setting,” she explained. “We support families in making healthy lifestyle changes through group programming, assessment and follow-up clinic and individual support from any discipline as needed.”

She had high praise for the hospital’s team, which includes a physician, physiotherapist, dietician, psychologist, recreational therapist, social worker, clinical lead, research analyst, manager and two administrators.

Dercach has no doubt her time in Newfoundland will help her career immensely.

“I don’t think you could do the job properly without the experience,” she said, while adding putting your studies into practice makes a world of difference. “The fundamentals are there, but you could not be 100 per cent comfortable or do your job properly without having the practicum.”

Experiential education co-ordinator Ty Bolibruck emphasized the importance of students being willing to go further afield for their experiential placements.

“Experiential placements are about growing both personally and professionally,” she said. “Ashley is a perfect example of this. She is gaining first-hand experience in her field while also getting to live in a place that she has always wanted to go. Both of these parts of her placement will better prepare her for her career.”

In addition to working at the hospital, Dercach also spends time exploring Newfoundland’s unique landscapes.

“I love the East Coast Trail, and I have hiked a lot of it now,” she said. “When my boyfriend visited, we went kayaking, tried out a whale tour and visited lighthouses. There is a ton to do.”

Having lived in six provinces, Dercach found the big move came with ease — though she knows that may not be the case for everyone.

She hoped to inspire others to take the plunge and pursue opportunities that may be outside of their comfort zone.

“It’s such a great opportunity to live in a different part of the country and experience a different culture for four months,” she said.  “It doesn’t last long, but you’re more likely to regret not coming than having a new adventure.”