Updated 02/18/2010 06:10 AM
Inspiring future doctors
They say it's never too early to prepare for the future and that's what several Onondaga County students are doing over this winter break. Our Karen Lee takes us to a camp that's inspiring future doctors and nurses.
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SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Sometimes they perform the procedure and sometimes a procedure is done on them.
Thirty students throughout Onondaga County were chosen from a pool of 110 applicants to be in the Medical Academy of Science and Health Camp at Community General.
"I felt good walking down the hallway with my scrubs on," said Nabil Akl, a student at LaFayette High School.
In the two-day internship, the eighth through tenth graders are sent on mini-rotations where they'll talk to actual patients, see operating rooms and handle x-rays and blood samplings.
"I think I'm pretty tough. I can handle it. I know what to expect, so I can prepare myself," said Cicero-North Syracuse high school student Erin Bergstraesser.
"I just like getting the full experience. I don't think I should be scared of anything," Akl said.
With that kind of determination, the students will be following the lead of other camp alumni.
"Actually, a couple students, we have found out that, yes, they have gone into nursing or into pharmacy or into one of the tech positions in the hospital," said Emily Armstrong, CNY Area Health Education Center Program Manager.
The MASH camp is just one of many initiatives that Time Warner Cable and News 10 Now are committed to as part of The Connect a Million Minds program. We're looking to inspire youth to develop science, technology, engineering and math skills.
For more on this initiative, visit connectamillionminds.com.