Curtis High's Edward Vlasenko One Of 96 Students To Participate In MultiCare Nurse Camp

(Editor's note: This story comes courtesy of MultiCare Health System)

Edward Vlasenko of Katie Hallstead of Lakes High School and Sabrina Botello of Steilacoom High School were among 96 students from 36 high schools who were chosen to participate in the ninth-annual MultiCare Nurse Camp that ran July 15-20 at MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital and throughout the community.

“These local high school students are extremely motivated and interested in health careers,” said Liesl Santkuyl, Director of Nurse Camp 2012. “Several of them will be taking care of me and my family members in the not-too-distant future. I am always amazed at what bright, enthusiastic and motivated students attend Nurse Camp. We are lucky to have such talented people in our community.”

The five-day camp gave students an inside look at careers in health care. Students shadowed professional nurses and health care providers as they cared for patients in the Emergency Department, intensive care unit, surgical care areas, inpatient units and allied health areas at Tacoma General Hospital, Allenmore Hospital and Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital in Tacoma, as well as Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup. The students participated in rotations throughout the hospital, and also took field trips to six local colleges and universities.

“The students grow exponentially through these experiences,” said Gloria Ziegler, MultiCare Nurse Camp Coordinator. “It’s very inspiring to our health professionals to see students that are so motivated and eager to enter a health career. We remember that enthusiasm and desire to make a difference that inspired all of us.”

In 2004, the not-for-profit health care system began supporting the free, weeklong day camp for area students, as MultiCare recognized the need to encourage a more diverse and well-prepared health work force. As well as increasing ethnic and racial diversity in health care, an increasing number of young men are considering careers in nursing, a trend MultiCare Nurse Camp encourages and supports.

A recent report by The American Hospital Association stated, “Improving diversity will not only help solve the work force crisis, but also enhance the cultural competencies of hospitals, making them more responsive to the communities’ needs.” The class selected this year, as well as in past years, is reflective of the diverse surrounding community.

Hands-on health career experiences included:

• Learning to suture, cast, read heart rhythms, conduct C-Spine immobilizations, and learning about emergency preparedness in an emergency services rotation.
• Removing candy from a mannequin with surgical tools. The procedure is called a “Skittlectomy.”
• Visiting the OR while in “bunny suits” to ensure infection control standards are maintained.
• Learning first aid skills, CPR and other health care assessment skills, using stethoscopes to listen to heart and breath sounds.
• Participating in scenarios designed to test their newfound medical skills.
• Working on understanding the anatomy of the heart by examining a pig’s heart in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit
• Visiting the Mary Bridge pediatric Emergency Department.
• Providing community service to support programs at Mary Bridge and Tree House.

This year the theme ws “giving back” and the students participated in several activities that allow them to show their service mentality. The students learned about organ donation, Tree House, and the Mended Little Hearts programs.

To be selected for Nurse Camp, students were required to write an essay about their interest in the nursing or health care profession. Many essays included personal experiences of how the care of a nurse or health care provider had a direct impact on the students and their family.