Clyde freshman shares details of CampMed experience

CLYDE – Clyde High School freshman Kacee Hemby got an accelerated experience in the medical world this summer when she participated in a two-day CampMed program.

The camp, hosted by the University of Toledo’s College of Medical & Life Sciences Area Health Education Centers Program, was designed to give incoming high school freshmen a real-life physician experience.

Students were chosen based on academic achievement in science and an interest in pursuing a medical career. Hemby, 14, was the only student in the Clyde-Green Springs school district who was chosen to participate.

Hemby said the two-day event was “jam packed” with activities. Participants were separated into groups and then paired with a medical student. The teens participated in hands-on laboratory activities that gave them scientific experience in anatomy, molecular physiology, pharmacology, neurobiology, pathology and physical diagnosis.

Hemby said her favorite activity was a visit to the cadaver lab.

“I’ve never been around dead people like that before,” she said. “It was cool. It had three stations, and at one station, they were pulling back layers of skin and saying, ‘Here’s the spleen. Here’s the intestines.’ ”

At another station, participants visited a 3-D lab.

“They sliced open cadavers and took pictures as they progressed to the muscles and skeletal system. They built an online study program with the photos — a study guide,” she said.

Hemby said the event allowed her to spend a lot of time with doctors, visit a hospital off-campus, and learn how to apply an arm cast as participants put real casts on each other.

“I learned a lot about sports medicine, how exactly they treat medical emergencies at sports games and practices,” she said. “We learned how to make makeshift slings and braces. If you were outdoors, you would know how to do that without proper medical supplies.”

Not only did Hemby learn a lot a CampMed, but she also had a good time.

“It was absolutely fun. It’s definitely a program I would recommend for anyone who is interested in the medical field,” she said.

The program was designed with the participants’ age and experience level in mind.

“It’s very precise. They go through all the information with you. You don’t get left behind,” Hemby said. “They know you’re going to be a freshman in high school and you don’t know things like the diameter of the average human skull.”

After high school graduation, Hemby plans to pursue a career in psychiatry.