Students Learn About Health Care Careers at UW Summer Camp

LARAMIE, WY. – Forty-three high school students from Wyoming and the surrounding area attended the WWAMI Healthcare Careers Summer Camp on the University of Wyoming’s campus, learning about a wide variety of careers in health care that they may pursue in the future.

The one-week camp, held earlier this month, offered students the opportunity to learn about health care careers by listening to presentations, interacting with medical professionals and taking part in hands-on activities such as CPR training and sports medicine.

Students learned about the requirements needed to enter many health care career fields, including necessary education, training and certification. During the camp, faculty members from the College of Health Sciences, as well as local health care providers, participated in presenting information about human anatomy, microbiology, pharmacy, nursing, optometry and assistive technology used to aid individuals with disabilities.

Marivern Easton, the WWAMI (Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho) Medical Education Program assistant director at UW, has directed the Healthcare Careers Summer Camp for nine years. “Our hope is that students will be motivated to work hard in high school and think seriously about pursuing a health care career,” Easton says.
Wyoming, like many rural states, is facing a critical shortage of health care workers. The shortage will worsen as the baby boomer generation ages. The key, according to Easton, is to identify, recruit, train and retain Wyoming residents.

“If we can generate enthusiasm among high school-aged students and support them as they pursue education and training opportunities, we have a much stronger possibility of eventually employing them as health care workers throughout Wyoming,” she says.

Tatum Zimmerman, a senior at Worland High School, says the WWAMI Medical Education Program’s anatomy lab was the most interesting part of her experience while at the Healthcare Careers Summer Camp.

“The most interesting part was getting to work in the cadaver lab,” she says. “It was awesome to see the real-life anatomy from a perspective that isn’t just textbook pictures.”
Morgan Zediker, a junior from Rock Springs High School, has a family connection to health care education. Her mother is pursuing a nursing degree at Western Wyoming Community College in her hometown. Zediker says the camp helped reveal more health education options available to her.

“I feel like it gave me a chance to really see the educational side of things,” she says. “It also really gave me a broader outlook on just how many options I have.”
Bridger Bleak, a senior at Laramie High School, learned about the camp from his school counselor. While the camp experience helped students explore many health care career options, Bleak appreciated the new career perspectives the camp gave him.

“I haven’t completely decided yet,” he says, “but I am a little more serious about pursuing a health care career now.”
The camp was made possible through partnerships with the UW College of Health Sciences, Ivinson Memorial Hospital, the Wyoming State Office of Rural Health, Snowy Range Vision Center, Donor Alliance and the Laramie Fire Department.