As students across Tampa Bay head back to school, many are returning with more than summer memories. Students who attended BayCare’s summer career camps spent their summer touring hospital departments, practicing lifesaving skills, meeting health care professionals and exploring careers they may never have considered.
Each summer, BayCare hospitals across the Tampa Bay area open their doors to middle and high school students through immersive career camp experiences designed to spark curiosity and help build the next generation of health care professionals. Growing interest from students and families has led BayCare to expand the programs into more communities and create additional opportunities for hands-on learning.
For the first time, career camps came to BayCare’s St. Joseph’s Hospital-North in Lutz and BayCare’s St. Joseph’s Hospital-South in Riverview. The new camps immersed students in their local hospitals to explore the teamwork, technology and compassion behind patient care.
At BayCare’s St. Anthony’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, the Healthcare Pathways Program returned for its second year and more than doubled participation, growing from eight students last year to 19 this year. During the three-day program, students toured departments, participated in hands-on activities and tackled a health care themed escape room while learning about clinical and non-clinical careers from BayCare team members.
BayCare’s Winter Haven Hospital also held its second annual Career Camp. The camp highlighted the wide range of careers that support patient care, demonstrating that hospitals rely on far more than doctors and nurses. Through department tours and conversations with professionals, students saw how many roles work together to support patients and families.
At BayCare’s St. Joseph’s Hospital in Tampa, the fourth annual Career Camp welcomed local ninth- and 10th-grade students for three days of tours, presentations and interactive experiences. Students went behind the scenes in areas such as pharmacy, cardiovascular services and rehabilitation, while also learning how Food and Nutrition Services, Environmental Services, Talent Acquisition and other support teams help create a safe and healing environment.
BayCare’s Mease Countryside Hospital in Safety Harbor hosted 20 high school students for its three-day Healthcare Pathways Program, where participants explored emergency services, pharmacy, operating room procedures, rehabilitation, laboratory services, radiology, labor and delivery, the NICU and more. Students practiced skills like Heartsaver training and sterile gloving while learning about the many pathways available across health care.
At BayCare's Mease Dunedin Hospital in Dunedin, 20 middle school students took part in the Diane Rauch Camp Nurse Jr. program. The camp introduced students to nursing and other health care careers through CPR-style training, first aid, bleeding control, respiratory therapy, nutrition, mental health, cardiovascular care, simulation exercises and tours of departments including laboratory, radiology and the operating room.
BayCare’s Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater launched its first three-day Healthcare Pathways Program, providing 18 high school students with hands-on exposure to a variety of clinical and support services across the hospital. Students explored clinical spaces, met hospital professionals and learned how teams work together to care for patients. Like the inaugural camps at BayCare’s St. Joseph’s Hospital-North and BayCare’s St. Joseph’s Hospital-South, Morton Plant Hospital’s first-year program shows how the academic health system is responding to growing demand for meaningful career exploration.
Together, the programs introduced hundreds of students across the region to the many careers that make health care possible, while helping build awareness of future opportunities within their own communities.
“By opening hospital doors, creating hands-on experiences and connecting students with team members, BayCare is helping young people imagine themselves in rewarding careers while strengthening the future health care workforce,” said Melissa Menke, BayCare’s manager of clinical professional practice. “As backpacks replace camp scrubs and classrooms fill again, these students will return to school with new stories, new confidence and a clearer picture of what their future could hold.”
Students, parents and educators interested in BayCare career camps can learn more by emailing the participating hospitals below.
