Middle school students in seventh- through ninth-grade seeking a behind-the-curtain look at the nursing profession will find it at Camp RN@OU, hosted by Oakland University's School of Nursing.
Camp RN@OU is designed to introduce future health care professionals to the challenges and benefits of patient care in a clinical setting through job shadowing and simulation labs.
The School of Nursing is now taking applications for the two-week camp, which will be held July 15-26, 2013, on the OU campus. Space is limited.
"Middle school is the perfect time to engage future nursing professionals," said Kristina Aaron, director of the Camp RN@OU program. "Being captivated by a profession early, students can take the necessary math and science courses during high school to be better prepared for a nursing education."
Campers will get a taste of the nursing curriculum as they get classroom instruction in nursing forensics, pharmacology, and clinical calculations and nutrition; as well as earn CPR and First Aid certification. Additionally, campers will tour the campus, shadow nurses in a hospital setting and participate in other hands-on and technological activities to learn more about the human body.
"So much of nursing is done beyond the bedside. We want to give young people a broader understanding of nursing and the variety of areas where nurses can practice," said Kerri Schuiling, dean of the School of Nursing.
With the impending shortage of nurses and a wider variety of career choices for students, The School of Nursing hopes to get students excited about the nursing profession. Seats fill up quickly as Cam RN only accepts 50 participants.
Qualifications to attend the camp include a 3.0 GPA, letters of recommendation and a personal statement identifying the student's goals for the future. For more information or to register for one of the Camp RN@OU sessions, contact Kristina Aaron at (248) 364-8755 or
camprnou@gmail.com, or visit
oakland.edu/RNatOU.
