High school students get hands-on healthcare experience at UMaine Augusta

BANGOR, Maine (WABI) - The University of Maine at Augusta hosted its rural workforce medical bootcamp on its Bangor campus Tuesday, giving more than 70 high school students from nine schools across the Katahdin and Washington County regions hands-on experience in the healthcare field.

Students learned about nursing, dental health, mental health and human services, medical laboratory technology, and veterinary technology.

“They’re excited to meet a professor, and they’re also excited to see all the technology that’s integrated into some of these programs and to be able to feel that technology,” said Korah Soll, executive director of Rural Aspirations Project.

The program gives students an up-close look at different career paths, with the hope of one day filling workforce needs in some of Maine’s most rural communities.

“If you think about the healthcare team, it’s the whole team. It’s not just about getting a provider to an area. It’s about helping secure professions for students who want to stay in their rural communities but grant them the access to really explore what their options are,” said Dr. Shannon Gauvin, director of nursing at the University of Maine at Augusta.

Logan DePriest, a junior at Woodland High School participated in a simulation during the bootcamp.

“We just did a simulation. It felt really real. It was quite an experience! Everything started blaring, and I didn’t really know what to do, never been in that situation, but it was a lot of fun to learn how to do it,” DePriest said.

Carlie Leighton, a 10th grader at Woodland High School, said she wants to be a pediatric nurse.

UMA staff said the events have been a rewarding experience.

“We had the same group from the Oxford County region two years in a row and to really watch them grow and flourish and try new things. And I’m hoping that we’ll continue and sustain this for these two regions as well as expand to other regions in the state that may not currently have these types of options,” Gauvin said.