SIUE Healthcare Diversity Camp Inspires Students to Pursue Medical Careers
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Healthcare Diversity Summer Camp has been the catalyst for encouraging students to pursue a healthcare career and bringing some to the University.
“Last year’s SIUE Healthcare Diversity Camp was the deciding factor for me coming to SIUE,” said Jordan Robinson, who plans to attend the University in the fall and major in pre-medicine.
Robinson plans to start her journey pursuing a healthcare career at SIUE and learn as much as she can.
“I’ve always had an interest in medicine and the healthcare field,” she said, “but I didn’t know how exciting it could be until I attended camp last year.”
Twenty-five high school students from Madison, St. Clair and St. Louis counties are participating in the seventh annual SIUE Healthcare Diversity Camp this week. The camp involves the SIUE Schools of Pharmacy (SOP) and Nursing (SON), and the SIU School of Dental Medicine (SDM).
“The purpose of the camp is to expose minority high school students to healthcare careers they may have never considered,” said Lakesha Butler, PharmD, camp coordinator and SOP clinical associate professor.
Also helping to coordinate the camp are Jerrica Ampadu, PhD, SON assistant professor, and Cornell Thomas, DDS, SDM assistant dean. The camp pre-requisite for high school sophomores, juniors and seniors is to have at least one year of math, one year of science and a grade point average of 3.0. The average student GPA this year is 3.7.
“Participating in summer camp increases access to nursing and nursing opportunities for minority high school students,” said Ampadu. “During summer camp, students are immersed in learning through simulation as well as through interactions with nursing faculty.
“In addition to information about admission requirements into the school of nursing, students are introduced to nursing advisors who continue to communicate with and mentor students after camp has ended,” Ampadu added.
Other benefits of the camp are exposure to SIUE campus life and learning how to better perform on the ACT. The success and continuance of the Healthcare Diversity Camp is important, because of the ongoing need to have underrepresented minorities in the healthcare field, according to Butler.
“The percentage of underrepresented minorities in medical fields such as pharmacy, nursing and dental medicine continues to be lower than the national average of underrepresented minorities in the general population,” Butler explained. “The need for qualified healthcare professionals, who are culturally competent to treat minority patients, is becoming greater as the minority population continues to grow.”
Yasmyn Knight attended the Healthcare Diversity Camp in 2011. She is now a 4th Year pharmacy student at SIUE, anticipating graduating with her doctorate of pharmacy in May 2017.
“Pursuing a profession within the healthcare field was always a goal of mine, but I found myself a bit discouraged by the low representation of African American physicians practicing within our society,” Knight said. “After the first day of camp, my eyes were instantly opened to the endless possibilities that SIUE and the field of pharmacy had to offer.
“It was also encouraging to witness the number of faculty and student pharmacists who took time to mentor high school students,” she added.
After receiving her professional degree from SIUE, Knight plans to help the disadvantaged and underserved through the most accessible healthcare assistance that she knows – pharmacy.
Ampadu also emphasized the benefits of diversity in the nursing field: “We live in a global society, as such, the patients we serve are culturally diverse. Minority nurses who share the same cultural background as their patients have the advantage of providing care that is culturally sensitive and care that helps reduce health care disparities.”
Attending camp this year is Kiara Hardman, of Godfrey, who is interested in nursing and working in third world countries: “One simple thing to us is such a big deal to people in impoverished countries. I am thinking of working abroad, because I want to be able to improve people’s quality of life.”
“So far camp is awesome,” Hardman continued. “Everyone here is so kind. It’s great to be around like-minded people.”
Diversity in healthcare is a “win-win” for everyone involved, according to Thomas. “Diversity in healthcare makes us all better. We all benefit from an environment that empowers all of us to achieve to our highest potential, without fear of prejudice or bias,” he said.
“The Diversity Camp is an excellent way to empower the young adults to know that they can achieve. They can make a difference, and they will be in a position to help others overcome obstacles and be successful,” Thomas continued. “It is a sacrifice, there are long hours of study, but it pays off in the long run. By giving of yourself in a rewarding professions of dentistry, medicine, and pharmacy, one can aspire to make a difference and be a change agent in society.”
Toju Choms Eguke, of Afton, Mo., has an interest in dental medicine. Eguke wants to invent products to improve oral health by preventing decay and bad breath.
“I can’t wait to go to the School of Dental Medicine and see how everything works over there,” said Eguke, who hopes to one day open his own dental practice.
The camp is made possible by an annual $5,000 grant from Walgreens, which provides diversity grants to schools of pharmacy across the nation.
The week’s remaining schedule is as follows:
- Today – 10:30 a.m. (Nursing) overview of School of Nursing admissions, programs, courses and careers by nursing students; 1 p.m. nursing lab simulation with Sheila Pietroburgo, primary care/health systems lecturer; and 4 p.m. nursing lab with certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNA)
- Wednesday, June 22 – 10 a.m. (Dental) anatomy and physiology experience in Roller Hall and Hatton Room; 12:30 p.m. SDM campus tour; and 1 p.m. laboratory exercise
- Thursday, June 23 – 10:30 a.m. (Pharmacy) tour of herbal garden with Cathy Santanello, PhD and associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences and director of instructional strategies; 11 a.m. patient counseling role play activity with Butler; 1 p.m. pharmacy practice lab; and 2:30 p.m. hands-on CPR
- Friday, June 24 – 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. – ACT Crash Course
Photo:
L-R: Dr. Lakesha Butler, SIUE Healthcare Diversity Summer Camp coordinator; Yasmyn Knight, 2011 diversity summer camp participant and 4th Year SIUE pharmacy student; and (seated) Jordan Robinson, 2015 diversity summer camp participant and incoming SIUE freshman.
