GADSDEN — Ten students will attend the third annual Med Camp which will be held July 12-16 on the Valley Street Campus of Gadsden State Community College. The camp is designed for students in grades seven through nine who are interested in learning more about medical occupations.  

“Med Camp exposes young people to a variety of career paths in the medical field,” said Rita Jones, outreach/enrollment coordinator for the Valley Street Campus of Gadsden State. The camp is funded through the Title III “Strengthening Historically Black Colleges and Universities Program” grant from the U. S. Department of Education. 

Students will participate in critical thinking and teambuilding activities throughout the camp and attend several breakout sessions. “The hands-on sessions cover a variety of fields and students really benefit from the experience” said Jones. “The medical field is the focus of the sessions, but students will gain skills that could be used in any profession,” she added.

Students will participate in catfish and fetal pig dissections, résumé writing and career building, athletic and therapeutic massage training, an infection control seminar and clinical laboratory training. Two Med Camp alumni will also serve as mentors to the students. 

This year’s camp will feature two Gadsden State faculty members in new breakout sessions including “Spanish for Health Professionals” with Blanca Borrero, biology instructor at the Ayers Campus, and “Technology in Medicine” with Dawn Bush, instructional technology specialist at the Valley Street Campus.

“Our healthcare systems are very technologically advanced and it is very important for students to learn these skills now so they can build on them throughout the remainder of their education,” said Jones.  

During Med Camp students will also tour the Quality of Life Healthcare Complex where they will meet with healthcare professionals and ask one-on-one questions about particular medical occupations.  Upon completion of the sessions, students will develop a PowerPoint presentation based on what they learned from the camp and how they feel it has prepared them for their future. 

Med Camp graduation is Friday, July 16 at 2 p.m. 

For more information about Med Camp contact Rita Jones at rjones@gadsdenstate.edu  or 256-549-8681. For information about the HBCU Title III program contact Tarva Vaughn, program director, at tvaughn@gadsdenstate.edu or 256-549-8674.