The six-week summer camp is hosting rural and other
under-represented students from all four UK AHEC regions (north
central, northeast, southern, and southeast Kentucky) to provide
math and science enrichment to those who have shown an interest
in a health profession. They live in a UK residence hall and are
provided housing and food at no charge.
The program offers a variety of activities
including lectures and lab sessions in chemistry, medical math,
physiology, anatomy, minimally invasive surgery, physician
assistant studies, public health, helipad/emergency transport,
pharmacy, physical therapy, dentistry, nursing and others.
During their afternoon in the College of
Nursing, faculty, nursing students, a research assistant, and a
nurse from UK Chandler Hospital encouraged the students with
hands-on activities with computer-simulated patients. Some of
these opportunities included intubating and “bagging” an infant,
treating a man with difficulty breathing and chest pain,
observing the delivery of a simulated baby, hearing normal vs.
abnormal heart and breath sounds, among others.
Dean Jane Kirschling talked with the students
during lunch about the myriad career options open to those with
nursing degrees, from associate through doctoral degrees.
One student’s thoughts at the end of the day
included that nursing is “very flexible, wide-ranged, open and
exciting.” Another commented that the profession is “more broad
and complex than it seems.” A handful of the group started the
afternoon saying they were interested in becoming nurses but by
day’s end, many more were considering it as a career.
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