High School Students Learn About Medical Careers & More At Annual Scrubs Camp

Whether it’s dentistry, nursing, anatomy or even being the nurse who flies in the medical helicopter, a lucky group of 30 high schoolers are learning about it all thanks to Scrubs Camp. The camp was created as a partnership between Bemidji State University, Northwest Technical College and Sanford Health in Bemidji.

“I really appreciate that it’s going beyond just, ‘oh, this is the medical field. These are the things that you can do.’ They have really included things that apply to all of life,” says Luna Harbour, a Scrubs Camp Camp Counselor.

The camp lasts four days. During that time, students attend lectures, perform workshops and go on job shadowing field trips. The camp is designed to be hands on and fast-paced.

“It’s basically giving them the opportunity to explore their interests and passions about the medical field and allowing them to understand what it really takes to be in here and the different options that they have,” says Harbour.

Scrubs Camp campers spend their full day getting immersed in everything that the medical career field has to offer. But the day doesn’t turn off when the sun goes down. They’re staying in the BSU dorms, which give them extra face-time with their camp counselors.

Maya Coates Cush, a 9^th grader who is attending the camp, says, “They’ve given me a lot of advice about nursing and just the medical field in general and having a really open conversation with them and just have a really deep kind of conversation about their experience is kind of inspires me to want to be a doctor or a nurse.”

In addition to medical skills they’re learning, the campers also say the camp has other long-term benefits.

“I feel like if I get into a nursing job or anything, having this in my background is very strong on my resume and talking about it. I feel like it will impress the hiring manager,” says Nou Cheng-Thao, a 10^th grader attending the camp.

It also reaffirms that the medical field is where a lot of these students want to be.

“The reason I feel I want to be in the medical field is because if I have the opportunity to fix something and I can fix someone and change their fate, I think that would be amazing because if I can do that, I can save the world, you know?” says Coates Cush.

The students will be all day tomorrow at Sanford Hospital in Bemidji. The camp will wrap up on Thursday.