Never say never: An HCA student’s research journey to enhance resident mealtimes

When Loretta Enofe-Laurel first heard she’d be a researcher during her gap year, she instinctively pictured a boring lab.

Years later armed with a master’s degree, Loretta joined Bow Valley College to pursue a Health and Human Services Management (HHSM) post-diploma certificate in Fall 2023, graduating later in 2024 Fall term. Her studies, spanning rigorous courses from the Chiu School of Business and School of Community Studies, plus a maternity break, were complemented by hand-on roles as an Academic Writing Tutor and Library Assistant, mastering the daunting APA style dreaded by many students.

Driven by a passion for learning and a background in healthcare, Loretta enrolled in the Health Care Aide (HCA) certificate program in January 2025. It was during this time that her interest in research was rekindled stemming from her HHSM coursework, and she sought guidance from the then HHSM Program Chair, Sandra Logan. This yielded a conversation with Zahra Shire, manager of the Applied Research – Health and Health Technology (AR-HHT)unit. There were no promises, but when an opportunity arose, she was invited to lead an action-oriented project.

The project on 'Enhancing Residents’ Dining Experience’ is in collaboration with The Brenda Strafford Foundation (BSF). BSF has an MOU with Bow Valley College to drive collaborative innovation in healthcare and education to enhance research, students’ training, and address healthcare challenges. “As an HCA student, I understand the critical role HCAs play to support the interdisciplinary care team and to translate policies into person-centered care for the resident's quality of life– and nutrition is a vital component”. The research findings will contribute valuable knowledge to the broader continuing care community on promoting positive dining from an HCA viewpoint.

The project's success was made possible by the collaborative AR-HHT team – Amos Kafata, Jessamine Keith Pagada, and Jiali Jiang – under Zahra Shire's supervision, with support from Loretta’s HCA Instructor, Brittany Power, and BSF’s Dr. Barrie Strafford Centre for Learning, Innovation, & Quality. Loretta was also instrumental in the literature review and research ethics application of other AR projects, and the library team led by Fiona Dyer were a beacon of support.

This seven-month research journey challenged Loretta's resilience, proving that she can enjoy research. She is now inspired to pursue a career as a researcher, a path she once refuted with a simple, "Never."

We acknowledge the support of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for funding this project.

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