NRCC News

NRCC Holds 1st Virtual Health Science Camp 

Aug 06 2020

This is an archived article!

This article was published on Aug 06 2020 and was archived on Jun 01 2021. The information below may be outdated or inaccurate.

New River Community College recently held the first NRCC Virtual Health Science Camp for local high school students.  More than 40 rising eighth through twelfth grade students participated in the camp, held virtually on Zoom.  

The camp is typically held during the summer on NRCC’s campus in Dublin; however, this year NRCC faculty and staff got creative and worked to bring the camp online. The camp was held July 20-24, under the direction of NRCC Career Coach Stephanie Addikis, Jean Cintron, NRCC adjunct instructor of nursing, and Sharon Edwards, NRCC instructor of administrative support technology and health information management.

“When everything started shutting down back in March, we thought we would have to cancel the camp. Fortunately, we were encouraged to think about creating a virtual camp. The thought was daunting at first, but the challenge of figuring out to how to bring this to life through virtual means has been so rewarding,” said Addikis.  “I am thrilled with the outcome and really feel like our campers benefitted from the experience. I loved getting to know all of the campers through our communication prior to camp and their participation the week of camp. I'm also so grateful for all of our community partners and presenters who gave so generously of their time and talent to encourage the next generation of health care workers.”

“Although this virtual summer camp stretched my abilities, I am thankful for this opportunity to bring to life various health science professions for our future health care professionals through presentations, hands-on simulation, and research,” said Cintron. “It was a pleasure to meet and guide area high school students in discovery of various health care professions.  I am thankful to the vast amount of community professionals who contributed to the success of this virtual camp.” 

Camp topics included learning about careers in nursing, nurse anesthetist, hygiene and public health, as well as mental health and self-care, which included a yoga lesson from NRCC instructor Manisha Sharma. Students were also able to explore career overviews from various local professionals including a respiratory therapist, pharmacist, medical coder, medical laboratory technician, and occupational and speech rehabilitation therapists.

Carilion Clinic Flight Team member, Adam Berger, flight nurse with Carilion Clinic Life-Guard, shared information about his career as both a paramedic and a registered nurse. 

Activities also included suture simulation where students learned to suture wounds with the help of Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM) faculty and students. Watson Edwards, VCOM Director of Manikin Simulation and Clinical Procedural Skills, held a session from VCOM’s simulation lab that included a hands-on suturing activity. Each camper received a packet of supplies prior to the camp for the activity, with the materials donated by VCOM.   

The final day of camp wrapped with students hearing from a team of human resources professionals who shared interview advice and job search tips. Each day, the students met in small groups virtually to put a final presentation together. Friday concluded the camp, with students showing off the small group presentations they had worked on during the week.