Health Career Programs

A career in the healthcare field is one of the fastest growing job markets in the United States. If you're a junior high school student wondering about what you'd like to do with the rest of your life, or a high school student deciding what to study in college, then exploring healthcare careers is a great way to see what's out there in your community and your state. Check out these two enrichment programs which are both FREE to eligible students.

CHAMPS (Community Health Applied in Medical Public Service)

CHAMPS was first implemented in 1995 in three rural communities in south Arkansas (Crossett, McGehee, and Warren). The one-week program is intended for junior high students, providing hands-on experiences in health careers, health education, and community service.

Through a variety of experiences, students interact with health care experts, such as physicians, nurses, medical technologists, respiratory therapists, radiologic technologists, physical therapists, pharmacists, etc. Exposure to different areas of medicine and other health-related professions is an integral part of the CHAMPS experience. Students learn to identify some of the various healthcare disciplines, see what they do, how they relate to one another, and discover how the fundamentals of biology, anatomy, and other sciences are used in "real life" practice. Other activities offered during the one-week day program include training in basic CPR and First Aid, healthy lifestyle presentations, and a community service project.

This program is for students entering grades 8, 9, and 10. To participate in a CHAMPS program, students must demonstrate above average scholastic ability as reported by school transcripts. Additional selection criteria is based on the recommendations of science or health teachers or school counselor, the application prepared by the student, and evaluation by the CHAMPS Selection Committee in that community.

Request Information on CHAMPS

CHAMPS Report (Requires Adobe Acrobat) or view the online version

M*A*S*H (Medical Application of Science for Health)

Every summer since 1988, hundreds of junior and senior high school students in Arkansas have donned surgical scrubs or lab coats at Area Health Education Centers (AHECs) and community hospitals in order to learn more about health careers. With a special emphasis on rural youth, Medical Application of Science for Health, or M*A*S*H, has allowed teenagers to experience the real world of medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry, and allied health in hopes that they will pursue a health career.

During this two-week summer program, students become certified in Basic First Aid, Basic Life Support (CPR), and learn the importance of healthy lifestyle habits. The basic sciences connection to medical diagnosis and treatment is reinforced through lectures, labs, and clinical interaction. Exposure to different areas of medicine and the health related professions is an integral part of the M*A*S*H experience. Students learn to identify some of the various health care disciplines, what they do, how they relate to one another, and how the fundamentals of anatomy, biology, pharmacology and physiology are employed in each discipline.

For students from rural areas, M*A*S*H demonstrates that students can pursue challenging career opportunities in their own non-metropolitan communities. Many students may feel that highly technical equipment and corresponding technicians are only available in large, urban areas. By providing M*A*S*H programs in their own or similar communities, rural students can observe the true availability of various types of medical equipment and treatment and the need for appropriately trained professionals.

This is a program for students entering their junior or senior year of high school. To participate in a M*A*S*H program, students must demonstrate above average scholastic ability as reported by school transcripts. Additional selection criteria is based on the recommendations of science or health teachers or school counselor, and the application prepared by the student, and evaluation by the M*A*S*H Selection Committee in that community.. Note: You must have taken Biology in order to be considered for the M*A*S*H program.

Request Information on M*A*S*H
 

M*A*S*H Report (pdf) or view the online version.

FATE

(Fighting AIDS Through Education), is a community service project of the sophomore medical class. It is sponsored by AHEC and the UAMS College of Medicine. Teachers can review the FATE outline and slides at http://www.uams.edu/AHEC/Fate/index.asp .

Health Careers Guide

The online manual is a comprehensive resource guide. It provides information on more than 75 health-related careers, including work activities, educational requirements, some statewide salary averages, and links to the locations of training programs in Arkansas. You can request a hardcopy of the guide in the Reports and Publications section.