Four Briar Middle School students were invited to attend Camp Med, an overnight summer camp at the University of Toledo that introduces incoming freshmen to medical field careers.
The Perkins students – Ava Quillen, Jeremiah Meadows, Autumn Collingsworth, and Yadira Pijlman – were immersed in many hands-on activities to give the students a taste of medical school and medical careers. Campers had to complete a lengthy application and were selected based on their applications. The camp, on July 14 and 15, was hosted by medical students who shared their journeys on how they decided to enter the medical field.
The students learned how to prep for surgery by putting on all needed equipment to keep patients and medical staff members safe. They tried their hands at surgery with virtual reality goggles, computer simulations, and a laparoscopic simulation piece of equipment.
In a gross anatomy lesson, students visited the campus’ cadaver room, where they were able to examine medical bodies and held a human brain, heart, lung, and liver. At the casting and suture lab, students learned the proper way to cast a broken bone. Many students had fun teasing their friends back home with pictures that they "broke a bone." And, they also learned to suture a cut.
The students also learned the life-saving skill of CPR on both adults and babies.
In addition to the medical workshops, the students were given time to learn about college, talk with admissions counselors on what it takes to be a medical student, and meet fellow freshmen from other schools.
Camp Med concluded with a dinner with parents and teachers, who students shared what they learned and their favorite lessons. A video highlighted all the activities the campers were able to experience.