Local High School Students Learn About Healthcare Industry at Summer Camp

The Linda Dunham School of Nursing at Houston Christian University (HCU) and Memorial Hermann Hospital Southwest (MHHS) joined forces, for the second consecutive year, to host Future Healthcare Leaders Summer Camp, an innovative program that takes local high school students behind the scenes for an in-depth look at the healthcare field.

Twenty-five students aspiring to pursue careers in healthcare took part in the recent summer camp guided by Blake Swanson, Assistant Professor and Simulation Laboratory Director at HCU, and his team, and assisted by nursing school students from the Linda Dunham School of Nursing's Community Population Health Clinical program.

Participants learned about a broad range of traditional and non-traditional healthcare positions from respiratory therapists, sterile processing technicians and Life Flight pilots to chaplain services, project management and security, and more.

"Healthcare leaders do not have to be nurses; it is easy to forget that, and while one of our goals is to increase the number of HCU Huskies, the bigger picture here is to provide students the tools they need to be successful in the way that fits them and their experiences," said Dr. Carol Lavender, Dean of the Linda Dunham School of Nursing.

With the decline in healthcare workers in the past few years, HCU values the opportunity to partner with Memorial Herman in this educational initiative to help prepare aspiring healthcare professionals.

"The Future Healthcare Leaders Summer Camp is about investing in people and investing in the future of healthcare. The high school students attending are interested in working in a role in healthcare and it's a great opportunity for them to get an inside look and learn more about various roles in healthcare," said Swanson.

By the end of the program, the goal is for students to be aware of the diverse number of opportunities that the healthcare industry has to offer while also learning how to navigate the admissions process for participants interested in pursuing their post-secondary education at HCU.

Olalekan, a student from Elsik High School, expressed interest in developing networking and leadership skills through the camp while Branson, a 16-year-old student from the Center for Advanced Careers was excited to learn more about the healthcare field in hopes of one day fulfilling his goal of becoming a radiologist.

Swanson applauded the Linda Dunham School of Nursing for its commitment to the initiative and MHHS for hosting and facilitating the week-long learning experience.

Students from Alief Elsik, Hastings, Ridge Point, Westside high schools, Alief Center for Advanced Careers, International Leadership of Texas (Katy-West Park High School) and various home school and charter schools participated in the innovative summer camp.