ELY- How does creating a body scrub relate to a career in pharmacy? What does a dog’s heart sound like? How is CPR done using a LUCAS machine? And how does a nurse or doctor get properly dressed to do a surgery? These are just some of the hands-on sessions a group of middle school-aged students got to explore during a day-long scrub camp hosted by Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital and Wilderness Health, a coalition of northeastern Minnesota hospitals.
Health care careers aren’t just limited to doctors and nurses. And training and finding students interested in pursuing health care careers is a priority for many health care providers in rural areas. This program was part of a wider effort to “inspire the next generation of medical professionals” as well as show these young teens the numerous options for careers in health care, and that many career options in health care can include technology, computers, facilities management, and more.
“This is the first time we’ve offered a camp for middle school kids in our area,” said EBCH staff educator Johnn Kannas, who along with Barbara Jackson of Wilderness Health, put the program together.
The students toured the Ely-Bloomenson Hospital, seeing the radiology, surgery, rehabilitation, and other departments up close. The surgery team helped students gown up and then try out some surgical techniques in the hospital’s surgical suite.
“They got to do a pretend surgery,” Kannas said.
The focus of the day was on hands-on experiences, and this was evident as the students got a chance to try out a LUCAS CPR machine, see how a chiropractor does a spinal adjustment (using her own son as a model patient), watch how a vet uses x-rays and other technology to diagnose a pet’s illness or injury, and see how precise measuring and mixing skills are important for those who work in a pharmacy.
As students worked to follow directions to create their own jar of body scrub, they worked to figure out how to measure in grams on an electronic scale, how to carefully mix ingredients, and then got to choose their favorite essential oil scent. Posters on display showed different paths to pharmacy careers, and the wall nearby was decorated with abbreviations and codes used in pharmacy work.
Students also got the chance to meet other health care professionals, including area dentist Dr. Crystal Chopp, chiropractor Dr. Andrea Kannas, and Ely veterinarians Kristine Woerhide and Allison Pace. Professionals also talked to the students about their career paths, how many years of school was required, and talked about programs offered in the area, like the EMT and paramedic programs, and also the two-year vet tech program at Minnesota North- Vermilion.
While working with the vets, students got to see x-rays of some unique veterinary problems the vets had seen recently in their work, and then got to do a hands-on exam of the vets very good-natured dogs, Suki and Tulie, who gave the students a chance to listen to their hearts, examine their joints, and feel their bellies. While becoming a veterinarian takes almost as much schooling as becoming a doctor, they told the students that a career as a vet tech takes two years of study after high school. The vets talked about their days at the office, which include working with household pets like cats and dogs, as well as farm animals and even the wolves at the International Wolf Center and bears at the North American Bear Center. “We are surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, and more,” they said. “Our days are always different.” They use the same kind of medical equipment as doctors, like x-rays, ultrasounds, and even MRIs.
The vets asked how many of the students had pets that had been seen at the clinic.
“In such a small town,” they said, “You know everyone by their dog, not by their name.”
Dogs and cats can have very similar diseases to a person, they said, but a vet has to use more diagnostic skills, since the pets cannot tell them what is wrong.
Dr. Andrea Kannas talked to students about what a chiropractor does, explained who can benefit from chiropractic treatments, showed different techniques and equipment used, and then gave a brief demonstration of how a spinal adjustment can change the body’s alignment, using her own son, who happened to be one of the students attending the program, as her “patient.” She told the students she had given her son his first adjustment when he was a newborn.
Kannas said the hospital has done outreach to high school students before, but this was the first time they put together a program aimed at younger students.
The camp attracted students from Ely, Tower, and Babbitt, as well as a few summer visitors including one from Nebraska. Participants received a special t-shirt and a swag bag with a first aid kit and other supplies.
The day wrapped up with a tour and demonstration by the Ely Area Ambulance Service.
Growing their own
“As an organization, EBCH believes in the power of ‘grow your own’ programs to help build a strong, local health care workforce,” said   Patti Banks, CEO, Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital.
“A Middle School Scrubs Camp is all about giving kids a chance to see what a future in health care could look like. We know that when young people connect with mentors early, it can spark something big—for them, the future EBCH, and the communities we serve,” she added.
With an aging population, rural communities are struggling to meet the needs of the increasing health care demands, Banks noted.
“By helping students discover careers in nursing, surgery, imaging, physical therapy, chiropractic, pharmacy and veterinary, Scrubs Camp provides a proactive solution,” said Jackson. She said they hope to offer the program in other areas in northeastern Minnesota, and perhaps make this camp an annual offering. The group also offered a similar camp in Bigfork earlier this summer.
The program also supports rural health care sustainability, the organizers said, by encouraging students to stay local and serve their communities.
Funding and resources for the program came from Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital, Wilderness Health, with support from Arrowhead Area Agency on Aging, Minnesota North College, True North Stars Perkins Consortium, Department of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation, Ely Vet Clinic, Ely Family Dental, and Healthy Families Chiropractic. Wilderness Health members include Aspirus Lake View Hospital, Aspirus St. Luke’s, Bigfork Valley Hospital, Community Memorial Hospital, Cook Hospital, Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital, Fairview Range /Range Regional Health Services , Grand Itasca Clinic and Hospital, and North Shore Health.