RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) – Throughout the Black Hills, medical providers have been struggling to fill nursing positions for a few months now. The staff at Western Dakota Tech hopes to create more interest in medical careers with their annual Scrub Camp.
Scrubs Camp is an event that Western Dakota Tech puts on annually that spotlights a range of medical professions by inviting high school students to take part in labs and presentations pertaining to those fields. Some of the subjects included are phlebotomy, registered nursing, and medical lab technicians.
More than anything, this event presents the chance to make students aware of these opportunities that may have been overlooked.
“Whether that is looking at their first entry-level career in health care or whether it’s thinking about what their future is as they think about a diploma, an associate, a bachelor’s degree in health fields. We want to be there to help them explore these health fields, learn about their interests, and find a way to do hands-on activities so that they have an active learning experience in the healthcare fields,” said Diana Newman the Admissions Director at Western Dakota Tech
Newman says events like this can be critical to students exploring more options. She says many times students will come to the event with one idea of a career they want to know more about and leave with a new plan entirely.
“We’ve had students who have participated in this day and then have chosen to enroll because of something they experienced today. We have a ton of students who walk away from this event saying ‘I never thought I could see myself doing a certain health care field or career’ but change their mind and direction and really find their passion and find what they will love for a future career,” said Newman.
Scrubs Camp has been going on at Western Dakota Tech for about five years now and Newman says there are no plans to stop any time soon.
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