Cochise College’s Center for Lifelong Learning (CLL) offers customized training and educational programs to businesses, nonprofits and groups throughout Cochise County. CLL has collaborated
with Hattie B. BWIP, a local nonprofit organization, for the second time to provide a Day Camp. Hattie B. BWIP provides camps to “foster sisterhood and instilling self-assurance in girls,” according to their website. “Last year, we coordinated with the Center for Lifelong Learning for a Culinary Arts Day Camp,” said Acacia Barnett, founder of Hattie B. BWIP and Sierra Vista native. “The girls in the camp enjoyed the experience of visiting the Downtown Center and cooking. This year, we wanted to introduce the nursing and allied healthcare fields.”
On Saturday, March 2, the Nursing & Allied Health Career Exploration Day Camp gave girls ages 6 to 18 a day with hands-on activities to experience what it is like to be a nursing and allied health student at Cochise College.
The event saw an enthusiastic turnout, with the registration filling up quickly. “Within the first 20 minutes, 12 spots were claimed,” said Ana Smith, director of the Center for Lifelong Learning. “This prompted us to extend the maximum number of participants from 15 to 20.”
Participants had the unique opportunity to meet with Cochise College nursing and allied health leaders and current students, gaining invaluable insights into healthcare education and careers. Beth Hill, dean of the nursing and allied health department, shared, “We are seeing more women enter the workplace, especially in non-traditional roles like EMT, Paramedicine, and Fire Science. Our most recent graduating classes had a growing number of women complete these certificate programs.”
The Day Camp included interactive activities ranging from learning how to apply and remove casts and staple and remove staples from wounds to engaging with high-tech simulation labs. These hands-on experiences were complemented by demonstrations and instruction on taking vital signs, listening to heart and lung sounds with a stethoscope, and an immersive experience in an Ambulance Simulator. The camp also introduced the girls to the EMT program, highlighting the diverse opportunities in the field of healthcare.
According to Dru Simmons, a nursing instructor at Cochise College, who moderated the camp, “the interactive, hands-on approach, especially post-pandemic, is crucial.” Simmons emphasized the importance of students “seeing and feeling the instruments, tools, and equipment” to understand the essence of working in healthcare while providing patient comfort and care. “This approach aligns with the camp’s goal to allow students to become the “big helper, see it to be it” and foster a sense of belonging in these career paths,” continued Simmons.
The camp also showcased the advanced technology in healthcare education at Cochise College, with equipment not even available in medical school facilities.
Feedback from attendees was overwhelmingly positive. Mia Fields, a 14-year-old freshman from Buena High School, shared that the camp not only offered fun and the chance to meet new people but also sparked her interest in the healthcare field. Maya Martinez, a 15-year-old freshman at Berean Academy, expressed her aspiration to become a nurse, highlighting the impact of seeing the mannequins and understanding their role in nurse training.
Photos from the Nursing & Allied Health Career Exploration Day Camp can be found online: https://photos.app.goo.gl/KRDkkpjctYUjtepy8.
To learn about Hattie B. BWIP, visit www.hattiebbwip.org.
For more information about Nursing & Allied Health or the Center for Lifelong Learning, visit www.cochise.edu.