Group of high school medical camp students standing on steps in front of a college building.
High school students explore healthcare field through annual Camp Med Summer Program
JEFFERSON, N.C. — Local high school students in grades 9-12 gained valuable insight into the healthcare field during Ashe Memorial Hospital’s annual Camp Med Summer Program June 16-20.
Nineteen students from Ashe County High School, Ashe Early College and area home school programs participated in this year’s camp, which was designed to expose students to the various aspects of medicine and potential career opportunities available to them should they decide to pursue a career in healthcare.
“Camp Med was not only a great opportunity to shadow and learn about various healthcare fields, but it was an eye-opening experience seeing the importance of human care, especially in this small community,” Ashe County Early College rising junior Graydon Shepherd said. “I could see how devoted the care providers were to the patients and the trust the patients had in the providers. I would highly recommend this program to other students.”
Over the course of the week, students participated in a variety of healthcare related events and activities, including job shadowing, plating their own lab specimens, learning how to place an intraosseous access, E-Stem treatment, learning how to give injections, and how to use an EpiPen. They also became certified in a “Stop the Bleed” trauma course.
Additionally, students enjoyed learning more about our local emergency medicine services during a visit with Ashe Medics. They also traveled to Leon Levine Hall of Health Sciences at Appalachian State University where they learned about audiology, nutrition and some of the different healthcare career pathways.
“Camp Med is wonderful opportunity to expose local students to the vast opportunities in the world of healthcare, said Angel Gouge, education manager for Ashe Memorial Hospital. “Our Camp Med Summer Program at Ashe Memorial Hospital allows students to begin to discover if this is the career path for them. These students get some well-rounded exposure to all avenues of healthcare, including how to care for patients with compassion and purpose.
“We often have students who enjoy their experience so much that they return summer after summer through their high school years, and we have seen many go on to college in pursuit of a healthcare career because of the experiences they got from Camp Med,” Gouge added. “We couldn’t be prouder of our local young generation as they forge their paths in healthcare.”
Through the Camp Med Summer Program, students are able to engage in discussions, gain valuable knowledge and skills and network with healthcare professionals in the hopes of discovering whether or not they may want to pursue a career in the healthcare field in the future. The application process for Ashe Memorial Hospital’s Camp Med Summer Program typically begins in late February and runs through the end of March.
The Camp Med Summer Program is an annual weeklong experience provided by the Northwest Area Health Education Center (AHEC), a program of Wake Forest School of Medicine and part of the NC AHEC System. The camp is open to all high school students and is designed particularly for those who have an interest in a career in the health sciences.
About Ashe Memorial Hospital
For more than 80 years, Ashe Memorial Hospital’s dedicated team of board certified physicians, nurses and staff members have provided the highest quality medical care available to the people of Ashe County and the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains. Ashe Memorial Hospital offers a wide variety of emergency, elective, rehabilitation and preventative health services.
Founded in 1941, Ashe Memorial Hospital is a fully accredited 25 bed critical hospital located in Jefferson, N.C. For more information, please visit ashememorial.org or call 336-846-7101.
