Program hits milestone in recruitment

Staff report

rootstown

The Northeast Ohio Medical University had its annual MEDCAMP program recently, reaching a 21-year milestone of recruiting 1,000 young people from rural and urban areas across the region, and encouraging them to pursue careers in health care.

The program is sponsored by Area Health Education Centers.

Every year, 50 students entering the ninth grade attend the three-day intensive immersion experience designed to provide hands-on experiences in biomedical science workshops involving research, clinical problem-solving and an introduction to the fields of clinical medicine and pharmacy.

“The neurobiology lab was my favorite part of the program,” said Sarah Yannone, a high school freshman from Canton. “I came because I’m interested in a lot of different careers in the health-care field, and this will help me focus and decide what I want to do.”

MEDCAMP students join physicians, pharmacists, medical students and professors in performing applied activities including taking blood pressures, reading EKGs, working in the pharmacy lab and identifying bacteria under a microscope.

MEDCAMP students are also required to complete a case study on a fictitious patient and present their findings on the last day to faculty and parents.

AHEC was initiated in Ohio to promote primary-care practice and to educate allied health students about the needs of medically underserved populations. The AHEC program helps bring the resources of academic medicine to address local community health needs.

NOMU participates with six other Ohio medical schools in implementing the AHEC Program. AHEC serves 14 counties in Northeast Ohio.

Northeast Ohio Medical University, formerly known as Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy, is a community-based, public medical university with a mission to improve the quality of health care in Northeast Ohio working in collaboration with its educational and clinical partners.

Northeast Ohio Medical University is a founding member of the Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron. Visit www.neoucom.edu.