A fiery plane crash followed by a big explosion. Several "victims"
in need of immediate medical attention. Medical personnel jumping into action
to provide treatment to the survivors. Thankfully, this disaster didn't really
happen. It was a simulation, one of the many health care-related activities
campers participated in at this year's Survivor Aroostook Camp, a health care
careers exploration camp The Aroostook Medical Center offers each year to
incoming local high school freshman from all over Aroostook County.
"Survivor is a week-long residential camp held at Northern Maine Community College," said Tom Umphrey, Senior Vice President of Human Resources at The Aroostook Medical Center. "It provides 60 campers with a chance to learn about careers in health care through hands-on activities and teambuilding exercises. Some of the careers campers learned about during the week were occupational therapy, dietary services, family medicine, pharmacy, and dentistry."
Campers divided into tribes and participated in competitions throughout the week, just like on the television show. Most of the competitions were related to health care, and by the end of the week, one tribe emerged as the winner.
The disaster simulation was the highlight of the week for many of the campers. They worked alongside doctors, nurses, paramedics, and other medical professionals, getting a chance to experience what it might be like to respond to a real large-scale medical emergency.
"They started leading us to the site where the plane had crashed, and we heard sirens and saw fire trucks and EMTs," said Survivor camper Rachel Dow. "Then we split into two groups, the EMTs and the emergency room staff. The EMTs went in and took care of the patients as best they could, and the ER nurses had to run to a building and scrub in for the ER. I was an ER doctor."
Survivor Camp was developed over seven years ago as a long-range recruitment strategy to address the growing need for new and replacement workers in certain health care-related occupations. The current health care workforce shortage, which is a concern both locally and in other communities across the country, is expected to grow in the coming years and decades. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that more than one million new nurses will be needed by 2016, and similar shortages are forecast for several other healthcare-related professions. Survivor Camp exposes participants to a wide range of health-related careers in hopes that campers will consider career options in healthcare when planning for high school and college.
"I
think Survivor Camp is necessary because a lot of kids don't know what's out
there for options in Aroostook County," said Mary Berube, Survivor Camp
Co-Coordinator. "They think they have to move away to get a good paying
job. We have a lot of different careers available in healthcare in hospitals,
home care agencies, mental health agencies, and in other areas. There are
a lot of options in Aroostook County for them, and they can make a good wage
and live a full life."
According to Berube, camp organizers are encouraged by the results the camp has produced. Some campers who attended Survivor Camp in the early years of the camp have already been hired by The Aroostook Medical Center, and many former campers are pursuing healthcare-related careers in college.
"This is our seventh year, so our third year campers are getting ready to go into their freshman year of college," added Berube. "We're showing that at least a third of them are pursuing health care careers, and we hope that many of them are going to be returning to Aroostook County to provide those services for our patients."
For the 2009 campers, the immediate value of Survivor went beyond the career exploration experience. Campers made new friendships, developed leadership skills, and most of all, had a fun week.
"We started at the crack of dawn" added Dow. "It was one thing after another and it was so fun and busy. I tried to keep a journal of what we did each day, but it was hard for me, because everything was so jam packed. It was always active and fun."
The camp costs organizers about $300 per camper to put on, but in order to ensure cost isn't a barrier, families only pay $75 for the entire week. Contributions from local and regional businesses and organizations cover the rest of the cost.
"The camp couldn't be held without a wide variety of sponsors," said Berube. "Northern Maine Community College is a big part of our camp; we couldn't put it on without their support. This year we had several major sponsors, including the University of New England, Maine AHEC, Husson College, Houlton Regional Hospital, and then we have volunteers and financial supporters from all over the County participating."