Rising sixth- through eighth-grade students got an up-close look at careers in healthcare during Richmond Community College’s Adventure Camp, where Scotland Health sponsored and led the healthcare education portion of the multi-day camp on June 22. 

Scotland Health teammates guided campers through hands-on activities, interactive demonstrations and discussions about the wide variety of roles that make up today’s healthcare workforce. Students explored careers beyond physicians and nurses, learning about professions they may not have known existed and the important role each plays in caring for patients and communities. 

As part of the experience, Scotland Health incorporated resources from NCHA’s workforce campaign, “I Do Care.” The campaign helps students and career explorers discover healthcare professions through engaging tools, including career videos, an interactive quiz, and information about education pathways. 

“The students loved the interactive nature of the I Do Care video and quiz,” said Christi Meggs, Senior Vice President of Human Resources, Scotland Health. “Many of them wanted to be interviewed afterward, and it was great hearing their responses. It was exciting to expose these students to healthcare careers. When they were given ‘their career’ to put on their name badge, many weren’t even aware those careers existed, giving us a great opportunity to talk about what those professionals do and how they help people.” 

The experience made a lasting impression on campers. Following the event, Dr. Qunna Morrow, Dean of Allied Health and Human Services at Richmond Community College, praised Scotland Health’s session, saying, “The kids said that your session was their favorite session of the day. A lot of them were still dressed up in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and the sunglasses were a hit!” 

By introducing students to healthcare careers at an early age through engaging, hands-on resources from “I Do Care,” Scotland Health and Richmond Community College are helping spark curiosity, broaden awareness of career paths and strengthen the future healthcare workforce in their community.