Sixteen-year-old Parmpreet Kaur is pretty sure she wants to be a pediatric pathologist. The junior at Rochester’s Century High School likes working with kids, enjoys the idea of helping people, and, well, the TV show House makes pathology seem pretty cool. But Kaur liked the idea of trying her hand at a couple of health-care professions before committing to a career path. "I wanted to learn about all my options in the medical field," she explains.
Fortunately, Jane Foote, executive director of HealthForce Minnesota, was thinking the same thing. Formed by Governor Tim Pawlenty to focus on health-care innovation, diversity, and learning, HealthForce Minnesota wanted a way to introduce high school students — especially kids who would potentially be the first in their families to attend college — to careers in the medical profession. "Our idea was for kids to experience living on a campus, meeting faculty, eating dorm food, and hopefully having a clearer idea of the health care opportunities that exist and how to put their feet on the path to getting there," says Foote.
That idea morphed into Scrubs Camp, a weeklong summer session for 100 students in grades 9–12 from around the state that kicked off last summer at Winona State University. For $350, (scholarships are available thanks to health-care industry partnerships) campers got dorm lodgings and meals, a backpack, classroom materials, and a set of purple scrubs to wear as they explored careers as varied as bioinformatics and emergency medicine. Each day campers attended various classes and workshops to gain hands-on experience with medical and laboratory equipment while also meeting professionals in different fields.
One popular guest was a dietician who explained how her job involved assisting people from different cultures — with widely varied diets — in achieving healthier lifestyles. "The dietician had the kids do a cultural dance from the Caribbean to emphasize the diversity of her job," explains Foote, who says the diversity in medical careers was eye opening for many attendees. "I saw a lot of kids who would say things like, ‘I don’t want to be a doctor or nurse, but I love the idea of working in a laboratory.’ They learned about jobs in public health where you don’t do traditional hospital stuff but still promote a healthier life, or that there are jobs where you can help people without doing hands-on work with patients."
For Kaur, who was already leaning toward the scientific end of the medical spectrum, the best workshops involved getting the chance to try out real equipment.
"We got to use the lab to test our blood types, and we put a catheter into a plastic model while wearing actual scrubs and gloves," she explains. Campers could also learn CPR and tour medical facilities as part of their classes.
Traditional camp activities were also mixed into the schedule, with trips to Winona’s bluff country, boat rides on the Mississippi, movie nights, and swimming added to give campers a chance to socialize and make new friends who shared their interests. "I really liked that there was free time where we could hang out and go hiking," adds Kaur, who continues her far-flung friendships on Facebook.
Because last year was Scrubs Camp’s inaugural season, Foote was eager to get feedback from campers about what they could improve for the 2009 session, and many ideas have already been implemented for the upcoming summer. "Campers said we should start classes at 9 a.m. instead of 8 because they were too tired, and they suggested we have an exercise class like yoga or tai chi to start off the day," says Foote. HealthForce Minnesota also wants to track campers to see whether the camp makes an impact on their choices to pursue math and science and, eventually, health-care majors in college.
Foote also hopes that other campuses throughout Minnesota will be encouraged to host Scrubs Camps of their own. "Our goal is to create a model that can be plopped into other settings in a variety of communities," explains Foote. "Even though we’re in Winona, there’s no reason why Bemidji or Moorhead State couldn’t host a camp with the support of local hospitals and health-care folks in their area."
For Kaur, Scrubs Camp added several more candidates to her growing list of possible majors. "I still want to be a pediatric pathologist, but camp opened my eyes to many other careers in the health-care field. I would consider neurology and cardiology in addition to pathology," she says. Of course, her answer may change next fall; Kaur plans to attend Scrubs Camp again this summer to test out a few more fields.
Monica Wright is Minnesota Parent’s assistant editor.
For more information:
Scrubs Camp
507-280-5034
