To facilitate a growing interest in medical-related fields of study among high school students, the Southeast Alabama Area Health Education Center (SEAAHEC) is offering a summer camp in those fields to Alabama students. Three years ago, Paula Cheatwood, executive director of SEAAHEC, contacted Auburn University health professional programs and VCOM-Auburn about collaborating with AU Youth Programs to offer a Discovery MedCamp. The camp is a collaboration between the School of Nursing, Harrison School of Pharmacy, Social Work Program in the College of Liberal Arts, VCOM-Auburn, the Didactic Program in Dietetics in the College of Human Sciences, and the regional AHEC organization.
The camp is designed for students interested in healthcare careers, who have a 3.5 GPA, and who will complete grades 10, 11, or 12 by June 2021 within the 15-county service area: Autauga, Barbour, Bullock, Coffee, Dale, Elmore, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Montgomery, Pike and Russell. The purpose of Discovery MedCamp is to empower students with the experience and knowledge needed to make better informed decisions about their future careers. After a week of immersion into a variety of disciplines, the organizers hope that students will come away with a deeper understanding of what it means to work in each area, and if that choice is best for them.
The camp for high school students will be facilitated by Auburn University Youth Programs. Campers will be able to examine and explore the multi-faceted world of healthcare careers alongside current health professions students and faculty in a four-day residential experience on the campus of Auburn University (AU). According to Dr. Sarah Watts, assistant professor in the School of Nursing, “campers will explore the nursing, pharmacy, dietetics, social work, and medicine disciplines through visiting their programs and learning about roles, responsibilities, and career pathways for each of the disciplines.” Activities will provide opportunities for participants to learn about teamwork as well as the roles and responsibilities of members of a multidisciplinary team of healthcare providers.
In 2019, the AU Interprofessional Education (IPE) conducted the camp online and this year we will offer onsite camp experience with 20 campers.
Established in 2014, the Southeast Alabama Area Health Education Center (SEAAHEC) is a non-profit, community-based organization located in Montgomery, Ala. and part of the overall Alabama Statewide AHEC Program.
For more information, go to http://www.auburn.edu/outreach/opce/auburnyouthprograms/discoverymed.htm
