This local camp has teens practice intubation, other medical skills. Here’s how it works 

Suturing and a mock laparoscopic procedure were just a few things that some local high school students got to do as part of their summer.

The MultiCare Academy for Students in Healthcare (M.A.S.H.) Camp held its 19th annual camp, formerly known as Nurse Camp, at MultiCare University in Puyallup — a facility where the hospital system does staff training.

The camp, which was originally founded in 2004, is a way of encouraging students to consider a career in nursing, Community Outreach Program Manager Sheri Mitchell said.

“It is basically a youth enrichment program — free, community youth enrichment program — that was established to address initially the critical shortages of health care professionals,” Mitchell told The News Tribune.

The camp, which was held from July 11 to July 15, gave high school students the opportunity to learn and explore both nursing and other allied health professions.

Some students heard of this opportunity from their schools or others they knew. None had been to the camp before, since students are only allowed to participate in the camp once in order to give others a chance to go.

“My expectation from this camp was definitely to learn and be exposed to different medical skills and to get more information about different medical professions,” incoming Bonney Lake High School senior Zoe Perez told The News Tribune.

The five-day camp was an all-day experience. Students did job shadows at various local hospitals and attended panel discussions about different health professions. They also participated in hands-on operating room and emergency room stations, where students practiced intubation on dummies and moved skittles from one cup to another using laparoscopic equipment, among other activities.

Students also took college tours, including of Pierce College and Tacoma Community College.

“I really like M.A.S.H. Camp because it gives me the ability to explore the health care field and really find what exactly I want to do and where my place is in that field and it’s been a great experience with lots of hands-on opportunities,” Olympia High School junior Katie Groth told The News Tribune.

The camp has changed over the years, widening the opportunities and information provided for the campers. Mitchell emphasized that now, students are introduced to more than just nursing.

“The program has evolved because it doesn’t just cater to the nursing profession with a little bit on the allied health professions. Now it involves all the health care professions, so not just our clinical health care professions, also our non-clinical health care professions. So the students are introduced to both the clinical setting and the operational setting to see that team-based care that we give to provide excellent patient care to our patients in the community,” Mitchell told The News Tribune.

M.A.S.H. Camp had typically been held in an in-person setting, with the exception being the last two years due to COVID-19. Even then, Mitchell said students still enjoyed the virtual experience they received while still getting creative ways to participate in the virtual camp at home.

At the end of the camp, students walk away with information about different career options. Mitchell points out that the camp helps students decide whether being in the medical field is something they want to do in the future.

“It’s important for students to learn, one: ‘Hey this is exactly what I want to do,’ but it’s also important for students that may be kind of on the fence,” Mitchell told The News Tribune. “... it’s also good for students to know: ‘This is not what I want to do,’ and I think that is an important piece as well.”

Typically, Mitchell said, the camp has 120 students. Due to logistics and since M.A.S.H Camp was held at a new facility this year, the number of students they had this summer was 60.

Students have a graduation ceremony on the last day with photos, videos, class speakers and a graduation certificate. For some the camp makes a lasting impression.

“The biggest thing for me is to keep taking opportunities like this one because I know it’s going to help me for my future and help me in the right path,” incoming Spanaway Lake High School senior Alondra Gomez said.