Wilkes-Barre, Pa.—King’s College is hosting its second annual Health Science Summer Camp this week, which gives high school students the chance to work directly with health care professionals during four days of hands-on clinical workshops.
From July 10 through July 13, 2023, students will participate in a variety of physician assistant, occupational therapy, athletic training, exercise science, nutrition, dentistry, nursing, and chiropractic sessions. They will access the same tools and facilities used by King’s health care majors while learning basic suturing, injection administration, full patient assessments, and other basic skills. An optional cadaver lab is also available.
King’s launched the camp two years ago to help encourage more teenagers in Northeastern Pennsylvania and beyond to explore a future in health sciences. Jenn Dessoye, Ed.D., O.T.D.—a King’s faculty member with more than 20 years of occupational therapy experience and 10 years in higher education—serves as the camp director.
“There’s a lot of teens out there who know they want to help people, but they don’t have any real exposure to what their options are,” said Dr. Dessoye. “This camp connects their desire to help others with real-world experiences so they can be inspired about what they do want to after high school, whether it’s through higher education or professional certifications.”
Students fill out surveys both before and after camp so King’s can track the effectiveness of each session and their impact on the students’ career interests. The sessions also include information on career tracks and earning potential across dozens of health care professions.
More than 80 percent of the students who attended last year’s camp went on to pursue medical science degrees or professional certifications.
More than 40 school students, grades 9 through 12, registered for this year’s camp. Most campers are from Northeastern Pennsylvania, with several others from the rest of Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The volunteer instructors include local health science professionals, King’s faculty and students, and campers from the previous year.
“It’s amazing to see former campers return as volunteers, including one student who became an EMT after working with one of our EMT instructors last year,” said Dr. Dessoye.
