In terms of the pipeline project, our proposal is mirrored after some very successful United States experiments. In the United States, the experiments we were looking at were around getting more African American applicants into medical school. In our situation, we were adapting it a little bit because the bottom line is that we have a very homogeneous medical cohort.
These involve things as simple as bringing high school students into offices and medical environments for a week-long period over the summer, and perhaps giving them a stipend to do some work.The best way to get someone to pay attention is to pay them a little bit of money. Even if they are doing filing, they are also watching what is happening. They are learning about the medical encounter.
I have to tell you that if you're an aboriginal—you as a young person in an aboriginal community—chances are, your interactions with the medical workforce have not always been particularly positive. Having them in an office working, talking, and having lunch with a nurse and physician—it's a different way of encouraging people to see that as a possible profession. That's one example. The pipeline projects are multi-dimensional and they are meant to get at all levels. It's an entrepreneurial approach.