LITTLE ROCK — The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) is accepting applications for summer camp programs that introduce high school students to career opportunities in the health care field.
The Medical Applications of Science for Health (MASH) program is a summer day camp for students entering grades 11 and 12. Participants gain exposure to health careers through hands-on activities, tours of health care facilities and interaction with medical professionals.
Most of the camps run for two weeks, but a few sites plan to host “Mini MASH” camps that condense their activities into a single week.
MASH camps will be held at UAMS’ eight Regional Campuses or at local hospitals or colleges. The program will be offered this summer in Blytheville, Conway, Crossett, DeWitt, El Dorado, Fayetteville, Forrest City, Fort Smith, Harrison, Helena-West Helena, Lake Village, Malvern, Monticello, Paragould, Pine Bluff, Rogers, Texarkana, West Memphis and Warren.
For students entering grades eight through 10, UAMS will offer the Community Health Applied in Medical Public Service (CHAMPS) program, which features three- to five-day camps with many of the learning opportunities provided by MASH. The CHAMPS program will be available in Crossett and Fayetteville.
These programs are made possible by a partnership between UAMS Regional Campuses and the Arkansas Farm Bureau. The MASH program concept was piloted in 1988 by the UAMS South Central Regional Campus in Pine Bluff. Farm Bureau recognized the value of these MASH camps in helping rural communities develop their own health care providers, and when initial grant funding ended, Farm Bureau stepped up to ensure continuation of the programs.
These programs are also supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an annual award totaling $2,308,000.00 with 50 percentage financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.
Camp dates and application deadlines vary based on location. For more information and to apply for these summer programs, go to https://regionalcampuses.uams.edu/health-careers/high-school-students/mash/mash-camp-locations/.
