Off the Ice and Into the Clinic: 2025 Esso Cup Champion, Keira Grant, Provides Medical Care Abroad
Edmonton, AB – While many athletes use the summer months solely for rigorous off-season training, former Junior Oilers White U18AAA standout Keira Grant also spent her off-season gaining invaluable, hands-on medical experience on the front lines of healthcare in Central America.
The 2025 Esso Cup champion and dedicated forward, who moved to the program as a billet player from Medicine Hat, has taken her talents to the U SPORTS level with the University of New Brunswick (UNB) women's hockey team on scholarship. But before lacing up her skates for the UNB REDS, Keira took a life-changing pre-med mission trip to Costa Rica.
A Volunteer Mission in Costa Rica
Grant travelled with Vida Volunteering, a non-profit organization that brings pre-health university students together to provide free basic medical and dental care to underserved communities. Setting up mobile clinics in local community halls, the mission was focused on providing essential healthcare and health education to residents with limited access to resources.
Keira described the practical, immersive nature of the program:
“The trip was to volunteer, but I also got a chance to learn a bunch of different diseases and conditions and what a doctor would do to treat them,” Grant shared. “We travelled to smaller communities around Costa Rica and set up clinics in community halls with the goal of providing basic health care and/or knowledge to the patients.”
Keira and her fellow volunteers worked directly with patients through a structured clinical process:
Patient Intake: Volunteers split into small groups of 2-3, working alongside a dedicated interpreter. They conducted patient interviews to gather a thorough health history and understand the patient's main concerns, filling in a detailed health record.
Vitals Assessment: Take vitals, including blood pressure, heart rate, and temperature, recording the essential data for the physician.
Diagnosis and Learning: The local doctors would then consult with the volunteers, diagnose the patient, and determine any necessary additional testing. This step was crucial for the students, as the doctors used the opportunity to teach the future healthcare professionals about diagnosis, rationale, and the specific prescription and its effects.
Pharmacy: Finally, volunteers would assist in collecting the prescribed medication and, with the interpreter's help, ensure the patient understood the dosage and instructions for usage.
This hands-on approach provided Keira with real-world clinical exposure that is rare for pre-university students, demonstrating the same dedication and focus she brought to the ice during her time with the Junior Oilers.
Cultural Immersion and a Global Perspective
Beyond the clinics, the trip was a profound lesson in global citizenship and cultural immersion. Grant noted that one of the highlights was the opportunity to live like a local.
“During our visit to one of the communities we got to stay with a local host family, and this family showed us their culture, and we got to eat their native foods every night which I thought was super cool,” she said.
Keira’s experience not only solidified her desire to pursue a career in medicine but also broadened her perspective, preparing her for the next chapter of her life as a student-athlete.
The Junior Oilers U18AAA program is incredibly proud of Keira Grant for her exceptional commitment to service and her passion for global health. Her journey from 2025 Esso Cup champion to a future UNB REDS student and aspiring medical professional is a testament to the dedication and character fostered within our program. We wish her all the best as she begins her career on the ice and her journey toward a meaningful career in healthcare.
