A Summer of STREAM Continues With Exploration of Careers in Medicine

Students were given the opportunity to work with instructors and alumni of the Southeastern Career Center’s health services and dentistry departments.

Photo provided.

(Ripley County, Ind.) - Genesis: Pathways to Success continued its strong offering of A Summer of STREAM (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art, & Mathematics) programs on Monday, with Explore Health Services Camp at the Southeastern Career Center in Versailles, Indiana. A total of 16 students from across Southeastern Indiana received hands-on experience in careers in health services, from fitting braces in orthodontics to suturing a wound in surgery.

Students were given the opportunity to work with instructors and alumni of the Southeastern Career Center’s health services and dentistry departments, receiving a crash-course introduction to an array of careers in the field of medicine. Aside from conducting fittings for braces and suturing wounds, attendees were also taught how to administer a vaccine, use an epi-pen, perform CPR, and conduct a routine teeth-cleaning. Each of these skills are essential pieces of different medical professions, and being able to learn each, first-hand, over the course of three separate group sessions gave prospective doctors and dentists a sample of work in the field.

Mary Schmaltz, an instructor of Health Science at SCC, shared her enthusiasm for the breadth of the camp, saying, “They [the campers] have gotten a wide array of skills today, and a lot of exposure to different careers. Exposure gives them a hands-on approach beyond books and the classroom, and functionally helps them discern what they may want to pursue as a career.” As such, the practicality of this camp made it valuable for illuminating potential career paths for its participants.

Experiential learning greatly affected the value of the camp for its participants; learning through ‘doing’ and applying classroom skills to simulated situations provided attendees with a glimpse at what these careers are really like. Furthermore, for those campers who may not plan to head into a career in health services, there were still many valuable first aid skills taught that have the potential to come in handy in every-day life.

For Makenna Westerman, an incoming 7th-grader from Jac-Cen-Del, the value of the camp came from the fact that it was, “more hands-on.” She continued in noting that a skill she learned was, “The Heimlich maneuver,” and that doing so was valuable because, “you never know when you’ll be in an emergency situation.”

Genesis: Pathways to Success would like to thank the Southeastern Career Center and all of its volunteers for their time and wisdom, and would especially like to highlight and thank Ripley County EMS for giving campers a tour of two of their ambulances. These up-close experiences were invaluable for every camper, and allowed each to learn more about the world of health services. Genesis looks forward to hosting its career exploration camps again in the future!

If you would like to learn additional information about this summer camp, please visit www.genesisp2s.org. If you have questions regarding A Summer of STREAM, please contact the Director of Genesis: Pathways to Success, Clarice Patterson, by emailing cpatterson@genesisp2s.org, calling 812-933-1098, or visiting 13 E. George Street, Suite B, Batesville, IN 47006.