Middle school students get a hands-on look at careers in health care
Middle school students have taken over the DCTC and Inver Hills campuses! The Dakota County Scrubs Camp that is currently taking place offers middle school students insights into heath care professions. A collaborative project between HealthForce Minnesota, IHCC, DCTC and Intermediate School District 917, Scrubs Camp offers students an opportunity to explore the many careers in the health services. Students will participate in hands-on learning sessions and investigate a variety of health care careers.
“Health care is huge as far as people needing to go into it,” said Sue Wood, health care coordinator for Workforce Development. “We have a baby boom that is retiring and is going to need help, and we need to be there to help them,” Wood added. That same baby boom is cutting into the nation’s supply of nurses. “Fifty percent of southeastern Minnesota’s LPNs are 55 years of age or older,” Wood noted.
And that’s where “Scrubs Camp” comes in. The two-day camp offers middle school students insights into heath care professions as well as a meaningful experience to the future workforce—an experience that will, hopefully, spark an interest in pursuing a career in health care.
Scrubs Camp was initiated at Winona State University in 2008 in an effort to allow first generation college hopefuls interested in health related services the opportunity to imagine themselves as successful college students. The first Scrubs Camp served 66 students. The initiative has expanded and now includes nine Scrubs Camp locations across the state, which included four new sites for summer 2015 and has experienced a growth rate of 400%.
Students will be on campus at Inver Hills Community College, 2500 – 80th Street East in Inver Grove Heights, on Tuesday, June 16 and at Dakota County Technical College, 1300 – 145th Street, Rosemount, on Wednesday, June 17.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact Anne Johnson at 651-423-8360 or by email at: scrubscamp@dctc.edu
Check out some more pics from the event on Flickr.
