Central Lakes College Hosts First Ever Scrubs Camp

From emergency helicopter care to basic physical therapy, local middle school students at Scrubs Camp were able to learn about the many different opportunities in the health care field.

“We know there’s going to be a shortage in health care,” Central Lakes College Dean of Nursing Tara Karels said. “So it’s a great opportunity for students to see what are some options, what are some career areas, and just get them interested and get them thinking about their future.”

“I think its really important to get people interested in going into the health care career,” Vicki Kueker, a Flight Registered Nurse, said. “Just like everywhere else job-wise the baby boomers are leaving, and we need to get other people interested in our career and get them motivated to get into nursing and to get into health care.”

The two-day event at Central Lakes College started with groups rotating around getting hands-on experience with the different fields.

“Just listening to a presentation is not going to stimulate interest,” Karels said. “How better to know if you’re interested in something than to get to do it?”

The students took a break for lunch, and then it was finally time to learn about emergency care with the helicopter, ambulance and firetruck.

“I wanted to do something in the medical field, but I didn’t know what to do,” Malina Schiller, an eighth grader at Forestview Middle School, said. “I kind of wanted to be a dentist, but I wasn’t really sure.”

Kids also learned about fields they never even thought about…

“I found two new things that I didn’t think I was going to do, but now I’m thinking about them,” Pillager Middle School eighth grader Emme Brandt said. “I was going to be a surgeon, but now [I’m thinking about] flight RN and ambulance.”

Scrubs Camp is something that health professionals wish they had when they were growing up.

“When we grew up as kids, we didn’t always get to see all of the different choices we had, and there are so many options it can seem overwhelming,” Karels said.

After talking with the health professionals, the students were left with some advice that they will carry with them for the rest of their careers.

“Work hard, set your goals high and work towards those, and always keep learning and keep moving,” Kueker said.

This was the first year of Scrubs Camp, and Central Lakes College plans on continuing the event next summer.