Local teenager Rachel Bridges, 16, is getting a glimpse of a possible career future in pediatrics by attending MultiCare Health System’s 11th annual Nurse Camp from July 21-25.
“I really love kids and want to see what it’s like to help them get better and get back to being the kids they are,” Bridges said in a press release.
Rachel, who attends Tahoma High School and lives in Maple Valley, is one of 107 South Sound high school students to earn a spot in the highly competitive summer camp after a rigorous application process.
She said OR experiences and job shadowing at MultiCare Regional Cancer Center had been her most rewarding experiences. She was inspired to apply for Nurse Camp by her 15-year-old brother, who has leukemia.
Nurse Camp provides a hands-on look at careers in nursing and allied health professions.
During the five-day event, students are trying out medical devices, performing “Skittlectomies” on mannequins and suturing pig legs. In addition, they are participating in professional job shadow opportunities in emergency, critical care, labor and delivery, physical therapy and other units and departments.
MultiCare began its first Nurse Camp in 2003, graduating 30 students. Nurse Camp is occurring at all five MultiCare hospitals — Tacoma General Hospital, Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital and Medical Center, Good Samaritan Hospital, Allenmore Hospital and, for the first year, Auburn Medical Center.
Students have been sharing their experiences on social media throughout the week with the hashtag #nursecamprocks.
