For one week this summer, a group of teens from South Arkansas will go behind the scenes to find out what it really takes to be a healthcare professional.
A group of 11th and 12th graders will be selected to participate in Mini M*A*S*H (Medical Applications of Science for Health), presented by UAMS South Central, Jefferson Regional and SEARK College. The program will take place June 6-10 at Jefferson Regional, with speakers and hands-on experiences from all three providers.
The original M*A*S*H program, developed by UAMS, was two weeks long and included a long list of hands-on activities. The arrival of COVID-19 led to M*A*S*H being canceled in 2020 and 2021, but the program is back in 2022, although in an abbreviated one-week version. “We won’t be able to let participants shadow physicians this year, due to COVID restrictions,” says M*A*S*H Coordinator Danielle Harris from UAMS, “so we’re working extra hard to make sure all the other activities give students an accurate depiction of life in the medical field.”
What can participants expect to experience? “Exposure to all facets of the healthcare profession,” Harris says. “Heart dissection, CPR training, vital signs, medical terminology, tours of the UAMS clinic and Jefferson Regional, a day at SEARK and a tour of the Jefferson Regional School of Nursing. We’ll also have presenters from all these organizations, as well as the local community.”
Interested students must be in the 11th or 12th grade, have a minimum GPA of 2.5 and complete and return the application by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 18. “Even if a young person isn’t sure the medical profession is for them, I want this experience to open their eyes to the many different opportunities that exist and possibly help them make a decision when the time comes,” says Harris. And students who are just a little too young should mark their calendars for CHAMPS, a similar program for 7th, 8th and 9th graders that will take place June 28-30.
To obtain an application, call Danielle Harris at 870-380-0363 or email her at djharris@uams.edu.
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