A few lucky incoming high school freshmen got a taste of a career in medicine at the CampMed program Thursday and Friday.
The University of Toledo choosing 39 teens from more than 100 applicants in northwest Ohio, to be a part of its 22nd year of the free summer program at its Health Education Building.
The competitive scholarship program selects students who excel in math and science. The UT Area Health Education Center program founded the program more than 20 years ago to “expose middle school students from rural and underserved communities to medical education” and encourage them to pursue medicine or STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) related fields, which the program still aims to do today, said Courtney Combs, director of the UT and Ohio AHEC programs.
Most students at CampMed are potential first-generation college students, underrepresented minorities in medicine, or from disadvantaged areas in northwest Ohio, and many of the camp participants already know they want to pursue medicine. Tailaya Garrison, a recent graduate from Burroughs Elementary and one of the two students nominated by the school for the program, said she knew she wanted to become an EMT in the third grade.
“I want to help people and give back to the community,” said Ms. Garrison. “This will give me a glimpse of what a medical future looks like.”
Of the former CampMed alumni who responded to a recent survey, 88 percent said that CampMed enhanced their interest in science or medicine; of those who were in college when they responded, two-thirds said they were pursuing a science-related degree.
Mrs. Combs and program participants listed the relationship with the camp counselors, who are second- and third-year medical students, as a top factor in encouraging students to pursue a medicine or science. The counselors are assigned 13 students and lead them through scheduled activities and aid in the discussions that the medical residents are leading.
They “talk with them as they’re going throughout the day, or share cool things that happened through the med student experience,” said Ryan Stenquist, a camp counselor and second-year UT medical student. Students are encouraged to ask questions and have discussions with their peer mentors in the program after each activity.
“While they’re a bit older than us, we’re not afraid to ask them questions about their experiences,” said Isaac Reynolds, an incoming freshman and a participant in the program. “We’re learning so much about the medical field.”
Some of the students’ favorite activities included mock in-patient interviews, where they tried to diagnose the symptoms of the assigned patient, or the suture workshop, where students practiced sewing sutures on pigs’ feet.
The program also aims to expand the number of health professionals in Toledo, since students who grew up in Toledo are more likely to practice here than those who did not, Mrs. Combs said.
“Our program is designed to light that fire in students who may not have had the exposure to medicine otherwise,” she said.
First Published June 14, 2019, 10:54 p.m.
