Local Teens Explore Options at Memorial Healthcare System's Summer Health Career Camp
September 2004 - While others their age headed to the beach or the shopping mall, 29 South Broward teens spent one week in June considering options for their future careers. The teens participated in Memorial Healthcare System's 12th Annual Summer Health Career Camp at Memorial Regional Hospital.
"The Summer Health Career Camp is designed to provide students with in-depth exposure to careers in the healthcare field - including some high-demand professions, such as pharmacy, medical coding, nursing and radiology," says Suzanne Luongo, the program's coordinator and an organizational development specialist with Memorial Healthcare System. "The camp is offered for 14-year-olds who are entering 9th grade. That way, if they decide to pursue a health career, they'll have time in high school to take the heavy concentration of math and science courses required."
Learning Outside the Classroom
Camp applications are sent each year to 8th-grade science teachers at all public and private middle schools in the South Broward Hospital District. Approximately 100 students applied for the free program this year alone; more than 525 students have participated in the camp since its inception.
Encompassing 36 hours, the Memorial Healthcare System Summer Health Career Camp is an intensive program that includes informative lectures, behind-the-scenes tours and hands-on learning. Participants receive certification in babysitting safety, basic first aid and CPR, and attend lectures on the importance of hand-washing and infection control. This year's speakers gave presentations on career opportunities for coders, nurses, pharmacists, medical technologists, radiology technologists, social workers and physical therapists. In addition, participants toured Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital, the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and the Conine Clubhouse, and learned more about the role of various support services in the daily workings of a hospital.
One of this summer's participants was Michael, a student at Flanagan High School. Michael is considering three different career paths - microbiology, pharmacy and nuclear medicine - and appreciated the opportunity to see Memorial Regional Hospital professionals in action. "I especially enjoyed touring the lab, and seeing the microbiologists working with specimens in Petri dishes," he says. When asked what he saw himself doing in 10 or 15 years, Michael replies, "I hope to have a career that I enjoy a lot. I think I would enjoy doing research and laboratory work."
Lacey and Brittney are twin sisters who also attend Flanagan High School. Lacey is thinking about becoming a nurse and hoped the Summer Health Career Camp would provide greater insight into the career. Brittney, who didn't have a particular career in mind, decided to follow her sister's lead and look into nursing as an option.
The camp experience provided the girls with the confirmation they were looking for. "It was really interesting to see what nurses do," says Brittney, "and it made me realize how much important work goes on in the hospital. They are finding new ways to care for people, and it inspired me to help people in the same way."
Eye-Opening Experiences
Lacey was surprised to learn how flexible a nursing career can be. "We were able to talk with a lot of different nurses, and all of them told us how they had worked in different departments at the hospital during their careers. I was really happy to hear that you don't have to stay in one department for your entire career, that you could be a nurse in different areas of the hospital." She thinks she'd like to begin her career as a pediatric nurse.
Like Michael, Brittney was most surprised by the activities taking place in the hospital's laboratory. "Those people don't get recognized for what they do," she says, "but they do such important work. It was great to learn about that." Both Michael and Brittney were impressed with their tour of Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital and its NICU. "I never knew how little or sick babies could be," says Brittney. "Seeing the kind of care they receive at the hospital made me definitely want to consider a career as a hospital nurse."
Now that they've attended the program, Michael, Brittney and Lacey are beginning high school with a new direction - and can thank the Memorial Healthcare System Summer Health Career Camp for providing it.