Area teenagers were able to experience what it's like to be a physical therapist, sonographer, speech-language pathologist and other health professions during a summer camp held at Grand Valley.
The students took part in Summer Health Activities and Professions Exploration, or sHaPe Camp, from July 16-19 at the new Raleigh J. Finkelstein Hall and the Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences on Grand Valley's health campus on the Medical Mile in Grand Rapids.
The camp, designed for students entering eighth or ninth grade, is taught by Grand Valley faculty and staff members and has served more than 500 middle schoolers over the years.
Program activities included collecting data in a laboratory setting, using modern medical equipment, understanding different types of therapies for various injuries and disabilities, and experiencing a field trip to Mercy Health Saint Mary's Campus.
The teens also explored the professions of dosimetry, occupational and physical therapy, physician assistant studies, radiation therapy, sonography, medical lab science, therapeutic recreation, public health, nursing and sports medicine.
sHaPe Camp is a 2018 Hometown Health Heroes award recipient given by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.
sHaPe Camp is supported by Grand Valley's College of Health Professions, Kirkhof College of Nursing, and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and sponsored by Mercy Health and Meijer.
For more information about sHaPe Camp, visit www.gvsu.edu/shape.
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