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By Rebecca Wyatt, OU Web Writer

Twenty-five seventh- and eighth-grade students from around the Metro Detroit area received an education in what it means to be a nurse. The School of Nursing’s day camp, Camp RN, gave the students a taste of the medical profession and the education they can get at Oakland University.

“We want to give the children a broader understanding of nursing,” said Patrina Carper, academic adviser in the School of Nursing (SON). “It’s not just a females-only career. There are many different types of nurses.”

Seven of the students in the camp are boys.

“I want to be a surgeon some day, so this camp will help me prepare for that” said Aly Lakhani, a seventh grade camper. “Even if I don’t go into nursing or a medical job, this camp is teaching me things I can use.”

With a nation-wide a nursing shortage, Carper, along with Kristine White, admissions adviser in the SON, developed Camp RN to get students interested in the profession and teach them what to focus on through middle school and high school to make sure they are successful in college.

The students participated in clinical calculations, biology courses, laboratory exercises and research. They learned CPR, basic first aid, crime scene analysis and taking vitals signs of a patient, which they witnessed first-hand on a trip to Providence Hospital on the last day of the camp.

“We’re just trying to show the students that nurses don’t just deliver babies and help doctors. They can become college professors, forensic nurses — the possibilities are endless,” said White.

Hundreds of students from the area applied to the program, which required a 3.0 GPA, letters of recommendation and the student’s goals for the future.

Aly Lakhani checks Hamza Lakhani's blood pressure.

Many of the students in the camp have aspirations of going into the medical field and see this camp as a way to gain experience.

“I really want to be a doctor and I think this will help me know something about what they do,” said Chelsea Gholston, an eighth grade camper.

The camp is run by eight people, including three OU students. Student counselors Amanda Dwyer and Brandi Henderson provide classroom support to the students and teach them to use the Internet for research.

“It gives us experience with different students and how they interact with each other in a less formal classroom environment,” said Dwyer.

White and Carper are already planning to expand the program in the future. White said she would like to see it become an overnight camp open to more students.

“The children are excited about what they are learning and the parents are excited to see the children learning,” said Carper. “We hope to provide this opportunity to more children.”

For more information on Oakland University’s nursing programs, visit the School of Nursing Web site or call (248) 370-4253.