Mo. Students Explore Medical Careers at Health & Science Camps

The Joplin Globe, Mo.

Registration is open for three area camps designed to get young students interested in health care fields.

The MASH camps, which stands for Missouri AHEC Science & Health, are sponsored by the Southwest Missouri Area Health Education Center, a Springfield-based regional office of a statewide system of health education centers.

"(The camps) are exploration day camps for students who are interested in going into the medical fields," said Trish Lavish, health career coordinator. "(Participating students) get a day-to-day look at people who work in various fields, like surgery."

The Joplin camp will be June 24-25 at Mercy Hospital, 100 Mercy Way, and KCU Joplin, 2901 St. John's Blvd. It is geared toward students in the sixth through eighth grades. Space is limited; register by Monday.

The Bolivar camp will be July 11-12 at the Citizens Memorial Hospital campus, 1135 N. Oakland. It is geared toward students in the ninth through 12th grades. Register by July 1.

The Monett camp will be July 24-25 at Cox Hospital, 801 Lincoln Ave. It is geared toward students in the ninth through 12th grades. Register by July 15.

Students at all camps will have the opportunity to meet with physicians and hospital staff members, learn about medical equipment and practices, and do hands-on activities and experiments. In the past, students also have toured operating and emergency rooms as well as ambulances and medical helicopters.

"We do the camps in hospital systems because it really gives students a chance to see what things look like," Lavish said.

All camps, which run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on their scheduled days, are $40, which includes lunch, snacks and a T-shirt. Registration can be completed online at ahec.missouristate.edu/MASH-Camp.htm.