Area high school students considering a career in the medical field are invited to attend Union Hospitals UH TECH two-day Career Camp Nov. 18 and 19 at Union Hospital.
This is a departure from Union Hospitals UH TECH format of recent years, which included one meeting per month during the school year that focused on a single career each month such as nursing, radiology, and laboratory, according to Kim Nathan, RN, UH TECH committee chairman. UH TECH is short for Teens Exploring Careers in Healthcare.
The goal of the two-day camp is to enable students to experience a broader spectrum of health care careers in a format that is comprehensive but very efficient, she said.
UH TECH Career Camp begins the evening of Friday, Nov. 18, from 5:45-8 p.m. at the hospital in Dover. Students will receive a very brief introduction to a variety of health care careers, followed by hands-on activities supervised by hospital staff.
Well have hospital staff teaching students how to do some basic patient care tasks, like checking blood pressure or blood oxygen levels, Nathan said. Their Friday night experiences will prepare the students for what they will see and do when they come back the next day.
On Saturday, Nov. 19, students return to the hospital at 8 a.m. and begin the day with tours of four departments in the hospital. Following lunch, the students will observe and participate in three patient care scenarios that will be narrated by hospital staff who will involve the students in the diagnosis and treatment of the mock patients.
This certainly isnt medical or nursing school, Nathan added, but we will give the students a good sense for what it is like to become part of a team caring for an emergency patient, a patient in surgery, and a seriously ill patient in a hospital bed.
The camp will conclude Saturday afternoon with information for the students about the $1,000 scholarship that UH TECH will award to a graduating senior who intends to pursue a career in health care.
Refreshments will be served Friday evening, and Saturdays camp includes breakfast and lunch. The program is offered free of charge but registration is required and space is limited to 60 students. To register, visit http://www.unionhospital.org under Health Events. The program is open to students from any area school district in grades nine through 12.
