TWIN FALLS, Idaho — Fifty Magic Valley teenagers got a hands-on look at healthcare careers Monday at the first Scrubs Camp held in the region, as Idaho faces a critical shortage of health professionals.
Scrubs Camps are one-day events for high school students — ninth through 12th grade — to explore healthcare careers. They have been held elsewhere in Idaho for several years, but this is the first one in the Magic Valley.
Watch to see the students participate in the hands-on activities —
Abigail Scruggs and Mya Van Noy were among the students getting coached on how to suture a wound during the camp.
Both teens said they had already contemplated careers in the medical field before attending.
"I've been wanting to do anything in the medical field for like a long time," Mya said.
"Ever since kindergarten basically, I wanted to be some kind of medical person like either a nurse or surgeon. I was like going back-and-forth," Abigail said.
Katie Barnhill with Family Health Services oversees the Area Health Education Center for South Central Idaho, known as AHEC. The group has been serving the Treasure Valley since 1987, but its presence in the Magic Valley is new.
"What we're doing today is getting students ninth through 12th grade interested in going into healthcare," Barnhill said. "It's a brand new program to South Central Idaho. This is our first full year of operation."
With recruitment gaps in nearly every area of healthcare around the state, AHEC aims to fill those gaps by training the next generation of health professionals.
"We had so many kids interested to come here today and learn about healthcare and I'm just getting insight on all these really awesome career opportunities," Barnhill said.
Scrubs Camps are held in various locations around Idaho. Visit AHEC in your region to find a camp near you
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been, in part, converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
