Jasper grad graded among top on health entrance exam

When Adam Shevalier scrawled his application to the University of Calgary’s Department of Medicine, he didn’t expect to get in, never mind score in the top ten on the entrance exam.

I’m in dead shock right now, I can’t believe it,” the 18-year-old said. He applied about a month ago on a whim while his real plan had been to start an Emergency Medical Technician program next January. 

The letter he received from the university said more than 800 students applied to the program.

Thanks to his application, essay and stellar score on the entrance exam, Shevalier is now one of 75 students enrolled in the Bachelor of Health Sciences program with a specialization in Bio-Medical, with perks to boot. 

The school is picking up the tab on a handfull of his courses, possibly half, as well as parking and a few other expenses. He’s not sure yet of the total, but “it will save a good amount of money,” he said.

Shevalier’s parents were understandably thrilled. “They were absolutely ecstatic and shocked beyond belief,” he said. “I think everyone in town was shocked.”

After graduating from Jasper Jr./Sr. High School this summer, the young man scored a job as a STEP (Summer Temporary Employment Program) Student working for Seton Hospital, where he helped out by doing general tasks in whatever department needed him.

Shevalier was inspired by the paramedics who attended the scene of a car accident in which he was involved in 2006. Lisa Wilson, a physician at the Cottage Clinic in Jasper, has also encouraged him along the way.

“I started shadowing Dr. Wilson in the summer and she gave me a unique perspective on the diversity of the health care field,” he said. “That’s basically what made me go into it.”

Dr. Wilson said for a student who hasn’t yet attended university, the opportunity to be present in a clinical setting is fairly unique. “It’s always a delight for us to work with people interested and students who are keen,” she said. “And he seemed to have an aptitude toward the clinical side of medicine.”

Challenge has always driven Shevalier. “You’re basically presented with all these symptoms and you have to try and figure it out,” he said. “You have to expand your thinking a bit and do what’s best for the patient.”

Before his interest in medicine, Shevalier considered studying law. “It was like a puzzle, getting the whole story right,” he said. “Health is the same way.”

Now, an MD might be right up his alley. Mitzi Murray, program coordinator for the Bachelor of Health Sciences program at the University of Calgary, said about 40 percent of the students in the program go to medical school. Another 40 per cent go on to other areas of graduate study, and the final 20 per cent go into the industry.

Shevalier’s also considered becoming a physician’s assistant, a role that requires two years of undergraduate study, though there’s no reason he can’t go all the way. “It’s going to be grueling, but I’m up for it,” he said. “It’s all about the confidence.”

Just thinking about starting classes next week makes Shevalier’s confidence waver. “I feel like I’m going to fall over and throw up right now,” he said. But he’s putting on a brave face to impress his friends. “They’re liking the ‘Doctor Shevalier’,” he joked.