Medical students at the University of Kansas Medical Center have opened a medical clinic at a Kansas City high school to provide free health services to students. The clinic is open twice a month, and nearly 200 of the school’s 1,200 students have registered to visit the clinic. These 200 students had their parents or guardians sign a release form and agreed to let their child be seen with or without the parent there. Students can receive sports physicals and immunization shots, and they also can be treated or referred for conditions like strep throat and mental health problems.

With this clinic, the medical students hope to share information on preventive health care with students. The clinic also provides an opportunity for high school students interested in a career in health care to learn more about various jobs in the medical community.

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A recent article highlights a successful program at the University of Missouri School of Medicine in Columbia that prepares college and medical students for practicing medicine in rural areas. More than 450 medical students have participated in the Rural Track Pipeline program, and many pursue their medical careers in rural settings. Of the students who participated in the program, 65 percent practice in Missouri, and 43 percent practice in rural areas of the state. In and outside of Missouri, more than 57 percent of participating students practice in rural areas.

Hermann Area District Hospital is one of several rural community hospitals that participates in the Rural Track Pipeline program. At the hospital, medical students “experience not only teaches them the ins and out of patient care; they also get a taste of what rural medicine is really like.”

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How many summer camps have days dedicated to disaster preparedness, with bioterrorism as a key component?  A health careers camp at Truman State University and AT Still University in Kirksville this week has a new twist for for high school juniors and seniors interested in the medical field – disaster preparedness. Today, the Missouri Army National Guard’s 7th Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team will conduct a disaster simulation for camp participants. During this exercise, students will learn about collection procedures, decontamination, communications, analysis of hazardous samples and other tactics employed to detect and eradicate threats posed by hazardous chemical and biological agents. Tomorrow, Guard members will conduct a separate disaster drill to help train camp participants for a hypothetical crisis in a classroom. Other subjects that students are exploring at the camp include anatomy, physiology, epidemiology and microbiology.

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This week, students in northeast Missouri are gaining insights into possible careers in health care. The M.A.S.H. camp is two-day science and health camp sponsored by the Northeast Missouri Area Health Education Center. Some of the students’ projects involve suturing chicken legs and bananas, a mock gowning/scrubbing in for  surgery and dissecting fetal pigs to learn about anatomy. Watch this video to learn more about the M.A.S.H. camp.

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While my children were growing up, I worked part time in a great “hobby job” as a massage therapist. I worked for myself so I could work when I wanted to and set my own hours and days, work around activities of the children, etc. When my kids started touring colleges, I sparked an interest in returning to college and wanted to continue service to others. I was in my mid-40s and wanted to make a difference. I started with an ADN path to RN and graduated in 2004. After taking one semester off, I began the BSN completion with an online program. I’m thrilled to have chosen this path as the clinical focus of the ADN pathway provided a good foundation for the acute care setting, and then I built upon that with the BSN focus of research. I always strive to make sure our work is evidence-based and use literature to encourage my co-workers to support new policies or procedures. I wanted to work with older clients when I graduated, which lead me to choose cardiovascular care. I have worked in post-surgical cardiovascular care since first graduating over five years ago. Since that time, I have completed my BSN and just recently my master’s with a clinical nurse specialist focus. I have since joined an education team with an established ADN program and now work with a new RN program at a satellite campus while still working prn in acute care. The education piece keeps me on my toes and prompts me to continue literature searches.

- Sandra Reed Wilson

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