While many high school students spend their summers at the pool, the movies or a summer job, some are spending it learning the ins and outs of medical school at The Ohio State University's College of Medicine’s MD Camp.
In the final week of the three-week intensive camp, pairs of students leaned over a brain, a lung, a heart and other organs laid out on steel tables in an anatomy lab in Hamilton Hall. The students whispered to one another as they identified marked structures in each organ in one minute or less.
Learning about anatomy with real human organs and cadavers is just one part of MD Camp.
Students attended the camp from about 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily. It included a mixture of medical and scientific lectures, professional development courses, wellness modules and plenty of hands-on training, said Kolapo Dairo, a rising second-year medical student at OSU.
Dairo, a co-curricular coordinator, was one of 10 student volunteers from the College of Medicine who ran the camp. He said 55 rising sophomore, junior and senior high school students attended this year, about five more than last year and a likely record for the annual camp.
“It’s very known that more diverse physicians provide better care."- Kolapo Dairo, OSU medical student
The enterprising students dedicated three weeks of their summer to learning about medicine. They came from diverse and often underserved backgrounds.
One of the goals of the camp, Dairo said, is to reach students who otherwise might not get the opportunities to learn about the medical field in this way. Full and partial scholarships are available for the $325 program.
“So, a lot of these students are either low income or from underserved populations or minority groups,” he said.
He noted the proven importance of diversity in medicine.
“It’s very known that more diverse physicians provide better care. Having physicians who can relate with patients better, either from coming from different backgrounds or from just looking the same translates to better outcomes for these patients,” he said.
Representation in medicine isn’t a problem that can be fixed overnight, but Dairo said pipeline programs like MD Camp are a start.
For rising junior Victoria Contreras, 16, of Dayton and rising senior Brendan Parker, 17, of Pickerington, the program has been an opportunity to explore interest in the medical field.
“Stuff like this definitely weeds out the people who don't want to do this. And it gives you a pretty good idea of, you know, where you want to go when you get older,” Contreras said.
Parker added, “You know, in a traditional classroom…you may get the information, but it's hard to really apply it and see, like, what being a doctor is really like. So, this has been a great opportunity to explore that.”
The application process started in March and involved essays and video interviews. The application suggested having a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher and a GPA of at least 3.3 in science and math. It also called for two letters of recommendation, with at least one from a science or math teacher.
Perhaps not surprisingly, Contreras and Parker met a lot of like-minded, hardworking young people at the camp.
Contreras said her friends back home have asked why she isn’t there to hang out.
“And I have to tell them, you know, where I'm at and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else,” she said.
The camp also included a day dedicated to learning about undergraduate studies, with a tour OSU’s campus and information about financial aid. Plus, there was a community service day.
“At the end of the day, medicine is hard. Any professional degree is going to be difficult. But starting early, getting in the mindset early, and having good supporters and mentors is the most important thing you can do.”- Kolapo Dairo, OSU medical student
The lectures students took were similar to what med students learn, Dairo noted.
“I honestly wouldn't even say they're simplified, because they are still pretty complex and these kids are smart, so they've been doing well with it,” he said.
Dairo added, with a laugh, “And they're showing me up in some of the information they know.”
As for the volunteers running the camp, who are chosen by the previous year’s student board, Dairo said every one of them is passionate about mentoring or teaching. One of this year’s volunteers even participated in the camp as a high school student, he said.
Ultimately, the second-year medical students want to see the high schoolers succeed in the ways they have, Dairo said.
“At the end of the day, medicine is hard. Any professional degree is going to be difficult. But starting early, getting in the mindset early and having good supporters and mentors is the most important thing you can do,” Dairo said.
