OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Middle school-aged kids are learning a little about what it takes to be in the healthcare field this summer at Nebraska Methodist College.
“We have lots of hands-on opportunities and field trips for this four day camp here at the college,” said Christina Ewing diversity outreach coordinator at Nebraska Methodist College. Ewing listed CPR training, hospital tours, and stenography lab activities as some of what was planned for kids to explore.
12-year-old Emily Armendariz took part in the stenography lab, performing a sonogram on goldfish.
“It’s pretty fun,” she said. “You get to use a gel.”
12-year-old Milo Krumbach detailed some of the other things kids could get into at the camp.
“We’ve dissected a pig,” he said. “We’ve done a tour at Methodist and at Children's Hospital.”
For the first time, the college opened its healthcare camps to kids in middle school; it's usually been reserved for high school students.
Kids in the camp are hoping what they learn here at the camp will one day take them far.
“I would like to go into pediatrics as a doctor or a nurse,” said Armendariz.
“[I would like to be] a sideline doctor like in the NFL, you know something to do with sports.”
As the healthcare industry continues to deal with staffing shortages today, seeing healthcare occupations spark children’s interest, gives them hope for the future.
“We definitely need more healthcare workers during this time and we want to prepare the youth to be able to fill these roles for when the time comes,” said Ewing.
18 middle school kids from across the metro area participated in this year’s healthcare camp. Nebraska Methodist College staff plan on bringing it back again for middle school kids next year.
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