Lots to learn at OU's Nursing & Health Sciences Camp

This week, my internship took me to Oakland University’s main campus in Rochester, for a three-day Nursing & Health Sciences camp.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I don’t have the strongest stomach when it comes to the medical field, so I was nervous about how I would handle this week. I’m still learning how to act like a “professional” and I don’t think fainting at the sight of blood would be a good start. 

Day one was Lab Sciences Day, which I think was a great way to start camp, getting right into it with lots of hands-on activities.

The students got to examine the (normal, healthy) bacteria that live inside their mouths by taking DNA samples and doing tests on it. They were also able to test and inspect different blood types, and explore different parts of the body in a radiology presentation. The great part about today was how interactive it was. The enthusiastic speakers and engaging activities helped shake off any hint of a sleepy start Monday morning.

For the second day, Health Sciences, the students learned about Wellness, Health Promotion & Injury Prevention, Public Health, Exercise Science and Nutrition.

During the Exercise Science portion, the students rode stationary bikes and tested heart rates and pulse. They also watched a live stress test with a treadmill and all, and tried to gauge our volunteer’s vitals while she was running.

I think this part was especially engaging because the students were able to take part in an actual lab experiment, making educated guesses at how the test would go. 

On the third day, Nursing, the students took part in some pretty cool, real-world simulations.

Part of what made this camp so exciting was working inside the new Human Health Building. The building has a Nursing Patient Care Practice Lab, set up with rows of hospital beds.

The students went around the room in small groups doing different simulation stations at each bed. They were able to participate in simulations on dressing wounds, putting in an IV, listening to a patient’s heart and lungs and much more.

Even though it was just a three-day camp, it seemed like we packed a lot in! I know personally, getting the chance to work inside the new health building and explore medical careers I never knew about made the week very impacting. I wonder if it’s too late for me to change my major?