Discovery Healthcare camps are returning for another year, looking to get more high schoolers in rural and remote areas interested in healthcare.
Western University's Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry holds the camps annually, exposing students to the different disciplines in the healthcare field.
"What we're really trying to do is provide a wholesome environment and learning experience for the students," said Dr. Victor Ng, assistant dean of distributed education at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. "It's not meant for them to become a nurse or doctor in that week, but to provide them that experience and immersion of what it's like to work as a nurse, doctor, or dentist, and also be able to see themselves through that lens."
Students in Grades 9 to 12 as of September 2024 are eligible and each camp is unique, depending on what students choose to learn about.
"Some of the more common skills that students will be involved with include suturing, simple casting, some students have learned and observed how to take blood draws for laboratory examination," said Ng.
He added it's very valuable for students to be exposed to a variety of disciplines, helping them to decide what's the right fit down the road, and hopefully, coming back to their home community for work.
Rural Canadians make up just shy of 20 per cent of the population. According to the Canadian Institute for Health Information, less than 10 per cent of physicians practice in rural or remote areas, however it has been growing in the last decade.
"We have good evidence and we know that when students are recruited from their own communities, they are more likely to go back," Ng said. "It's the amount of time they're immersed in that community, for example, if they grew up there, they went to high school there. Having that repetitive immersion increases the likelihood for that student to eventually go back and develop further ties."
Each camp can accommodate up to 30 high schoolers, with each one spanning over five days. It costs $325 plus tax.
From July 8 to 12, camps will be held in Goderich, Sarnia, St. Thomas, and Chatham.
From July 15 to 19, camps will be in Stratford, Owen Sound, Windsor, and Woodstock.
More information can be found here.
