High School Students Get Hands-on with Healthcare at UCF

Central Florida high school students recently spent a week gaining hands-on health sciences experience during the Health Leaders Summer Academy (HLSA) at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine.

The HLSA spans multiple campuses and professional schools, including UCF’s College of Health Professions and Sciences, Medicine and Nursing, UCF Downtown and the Orlando VA Medical Center, providing experiential learning for students interested in health-related careers.

Students visited the UCF College of Nursing, where faculty and staff provided an interactive tour of the facility’s various simulation rooms. Students received training on how to stop the bleeding of a major wound, as well as a presentation on the various aspects of nursing, particularly the essential role of nursing in healthcare and academia.

The UCF College of Health Professions and Sciences gave presentations focused on careers in the various Allied Health Sciences, including physical therapy, sports medicine and health sciences, giving students perspective on the different career paths in healthcare.

On Wednesday, the HLSA received an overwhelming reception from UCF’s downtown campus and the School of Global Health Management and Informatics. The theme for the day’s presentations revolved around characters from the Marvel Comics. Students were divided into teams based on Marvel characters for presentations and interactive games that taught them about public health.

“We want to help [students] dream big about their future careers, but also give them practical guidance on how to do well this upcoming academic year.” — Tracy MacIntosh, associate dean of the Office of Access, Belonging and Community Engagement

Students spent the final days at the UCF College of Medicine learning how to administer CPR and perform the lifesaving technique on training models. They also learned how to properly apply splints to an injured limb, perform ultrasounds on real people to examine their heart and abdominal organs, and care for computerized manikins that UCF medical students use to learn patient care.  They also saw robotic surgery at the VA and toured its SimLEARN Center, which uses simulation-based learning to train clinical staff.

The camp also offered mentorship and guidance on college preparation and application, securing financial scholarships, study skills and time management.

Ka’Lynn Bright, a Jones High School student who attended the academy, wants to become an OB/GYN but was unsure about the path to getting there. The academy changed that.

“The program helped me clear my mind,” Bright says. “I didn’t know which undergrad degree to choose and how to get into medical school, but this [academy] helped clear my path for college and the future.”

For Harmony High School student Mason Alderman, the opportunity to see and interact with a wide variety of health professionals helped him get a better scope on what each of these jobs entail.

“I always knew I wanted to work in healthcare, but I didn’t know what role exactly,” Alderman says. “Seeing all of these options has been eye opening and has helped me narrow it down.”

As healthcare continues to suffer from staffing shortages, UCF’s summer camp is focused on making a career in patient care and research accessible, especially for students from backgrounds that are underrepresented in medicine.

“We are very intentional in high school outreach, focusing on low-income high schools to give the opportunity to those who might not otherwise have it,” says Tracy MacIntosh, associate dean of the Office of Access, Belonging and Community Engagement at the medical school. “Many of these students are part of their high school’s Pre-Health Professional clubs, which fosters future health professionals. We want to help them dream big about their future careers, but also give them practical guidance on how to do well this upcoming academic year and get into their college of choice to get the started on the right path.”

The summer camp has a competitive application process with a limited number of spaces. Students must have above a 3.0 GPA and a strong interest in a healthcare career. This year, 68 students attended the event — most from Osceola, Seminole and Orange counties.

MacIntosh says she has heard many students have reservations about a career as a physician because of the time investment involved. But she offers a different perspective.

“How many 30-year-olds have their dream job? In any career it takes expertise and time to develop that,” she says. But if you start investing in yourself early, you can be the best you can be in medicine, science, research, healthcare innovation and public health, just like you can in any field.”

Applications for next year’s Health Leaders Summer Academy open in February 2025. Students interested in participating are encouraged to get involved with their campus’ pre-health and pre-medical student groups and look for volunteer opportunities in their community. Learn more information here.