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Students create a summer camp where teens map career paths

July 18, 2014 • Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine

Medical school can seem like a daunting challenge to teens trying to sort out what to do after high school. But UNT Health Science Center helps them get to the heart of the matter with Camp Cardiac.

This summer, 22 students participated in a full week of education about the medical profession centered on the cardiovascular system.

 “Camp Cardiac gives us experiences we wouldn’t have in a normal high school setting, such as pig-heart dissections and sutures. It shows us what med school would be like and the basics of what is expected from a doctor,” said Ashley Watson, a student at Woodrow Wilson High School in Dallas.

“After this camp, I will definitely be going into the medical field, specifically in the cardio-thoracic area,” said Grace Kamau, a student at Heritage High School in Frisco.

 And it was all made possible by students in UNTHSC’s Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine. Camp Cardiac is a national project of Doctor Development NFP. The camps are held in several locations across the U.S. Because of the efforts of TCOM students, UNTHSC hosted a camp for the first time this year.

First-year TCOM students applied to Doctor Development, were accepted and then developed the curriculum and organized the week’s activities, scheduling rooms, recruiting faculty members and managing dozens of details.

“We’ve met students from multiple medical schools across the country, and although they all have compassion for helping others, occasionally a group of students stands out above the rest.  UNTHSC is clearly one of those institutions,” said Michael Yensel, President of Doctor Development.

“It’s obvious that UNTHSC promotes a culture of service.  We were overwhelmed by the maturity and altruism of each and every medical student with whom we interacted on the campus,” he said. “We are extremely grateful and proud to be associated with incredible humanitarians such as those at UNT Health Science Center.”