BBCC hosts healthcare career event for high school students

MOSES LAKE — On Friday, May 3, Big Bend Community College hosted Grant County Scrubs Camp — a one-day workshop for high school students to explore healthcare careers.

Scrubs Camp is a great way for students interested in a healthcare career to find out all the possibilities and prepare for their next steps in education. Participants get concrete guidance on the training programs required for different types of healthcare careers, including information on financial options.

“This was a great opportunity for high school students to learn about a variety of careers in healthcare,” said Katherine Christian, Director of Health Education Programs at BBCC. “We really appreciated the support of our local healthcare partners as they shared their expertise.”

Scrubs Camp provides the opportunity for students to explore healthcare careers through demonstrations and hands-on activities by industry professionals and/or educators. These activities and demonstrations are things that healthcare professionals do in their daily work such as drawing blood, listening to heartbeats, dispensing medications, and conducting patient assessments, among other things. The goal of the camp is to increase awareness, interest and understanding of healthcare careers while also learning about the education and skills required to become a healthcare professional.

The camp held at BBCC showcased the professions of Nursing, Medical Assisting, Emergency Medical Technician, Radiologic Technologists, Pharmacy Technicians, and Medical Laboratory Technicians. There were 85 students from five Grant County schools in attendance.

“We have been excited to work with both academic and industry partners, who have wholeheartedly shown up to support mentoring the next generation of healthcare heroes,” said Central Washington Area Health Education Center Coordinator Jordan Johnson. “They bring decades of experience as well as their personal stories on how they entered their professions and engage the students in demonstrating some of the daily functions of their roles.”

The event was made possible through a partnership between Big Bend, CWAHEC – Wenatchee Valley College, Career Connect Washington, Othello Community Hospital, Quincy Valley Medical Center, Samaritan Healthcare, North Central Educational Service District, Columbia Basin Hospital, Apple STEM Network, Protection 1 EMS and Grand Columbia Health Alliance.