Arkansas high school students can get hands-on healthcare experiences such as suturing workshops, field trips, CPR training, and heart dissection at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) MASH camps across the state this summer.
Medical Applications of Science for Health (MASH) camps are a free, two-week program for rising high school juniors and seniors where they can explore team-building exercises, visit healthcare settings, learn at various workshops, and even shadow healthcare professionals. Mini-MASH camps are another option with camps that last only one week.
Applicants must be entering the 11th or 12th grade and must have completed a biology class. They will be selected based on recommendation letters; academic, athletic or other achievements and awards; extracurricular activities; leadership and service in school and the community; and a personal essay describing the student’s desire to attend the camp and pursue a career in healthcare.
A second summer option is Community Health Applied in Medical Public Service (CHAMPS) camps, which are like MASH camps but generally last three to five days and are geared toward students entering ninth or 10th grade.
Camps have been scheduled throughout June and July for Arkadelphia, Berryville, Blytheville, Clinton, Conway, Crossett, DeWitt, Dumas, El Dorado, Fayetteville, Fort Smith, Harrison, Jonesboro, Lake Village, Malvern, Mena, Pine Bluff, Rogers, Texarkana, and West Memphis.
Additional camps are planned for Cabot, Forrest City, Helena-West Helena, Hot Springs, Paragould, and Warren, but dates are not yet confirmed.
Application deadlines vary by camp, ranging from March 18 to May 8. A complete list of camps, their dates and application deadlines are available at bit.ly/3EITDy6.
The MASH program is made possible thanks to a long-term partnership with Arkansas Farm Bureau. In 2023, the organization pledged a five-year, $500,000 gift to create the Farm Bureau Fund for Excellence, which supports health career recruitment programs for Arkansas students.
More than 400 students attended 23 MASH and CHAMPS camps last summer.
The MASH concept was launched in 1988 at UAMS South Central Regional Campus in Pine Bluff. The program has grown into a statewide collaboration of local, state, and federal organizations, including area hospitals, which play an important part in the students’ experience.