Area teens explore health professions at sHaPe camp

Fifty West Michigan teenagers spent July 13-16 exploring health professions during the Summer Health Activities and Professions Exploration (sHaPe) camp at Grand Valley’s Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences in Grand Rapids.

Sponsored by Grand Valley’s College of Health Professions and Regional Math and Science Center, the sHaPe program is designed for students entering eighth- or ninth-grade. 

Kathy Agee, Regional Math and Science Center science program coordinator and sHaPe camp co-director, said the experience offers students exposure to various health careers with varying levels of post high school education during a time when there is an increasing demand for STEM careers (science, technology, engineering and math) in Michigan.

“The most powerful part of sHaPe camp is getting students on a college campus, which allows them to see themselves attending college in the future,” Agee said. “It demystifies college and gives them confidence to know they can attend and be successful in college. They also see that they can have a rewarding career in the health professions.”

The health profession careers students engaged in included nursing, medical laboratory science, occupational therapy, physical therapy, physician assistance, public health, radiation therapy, sonography, speech pathology, sports medicine and therapeutic recreation.

During hands-on STEM activities led by Grand Valley faculty and student volunteers, campers made nutritious meals, collected data in laboratory settings, used modern medical equipment and learned different therapies for various injuries and disabilities. Students also took a field trip to the Mercy Health Saint Mary’s Campus in Grand Rapids where they learned about endoscopy, HazMat, surgical equipment and nutrition.

Admission to sHaPe camp this year was free for students thanks to funding from Meijer and Mercy Health.

For more information about sHaPe Camp, visit www.gvsu.edu/rmsc.