Physicians wear many hats, from practitioners and researchers to scientists and leaders. To help aspiring doctors better understand this dynamic profession, the Gilbert and Rose-Marie Chagoury School of Medicine organized a week-long immersive camp at LAU’s Byblos campus in July, where high-school students learned basic medical skills and explored the world of healthcare up close.

For one week, students from schools across the country and abroad attended the LAU Future Healthcare Heroes Summer Camp, where they were exposed to the field of medicine. They took part in activities at the school’s research labs, the LAU Clinical Simulation Center and the LAU Medical Center-Saint John’s Hospital, where they learned through hands-on experiments, virtual reality and cases demonstrations how to perform Basic Life Support, take vital signs, record patient histories and explored different disciplines such as human anatomy, pathology, physiology, human genetics and microbiology.

“We wanted to give the students a feel for the medical field, in all its excitement and possibilities,” said Acting Assistant Dean for Medical Education Nadia El Asmar.

In parallel to the activities, the students worked in groups on research topics pertaining to health and healthcare. On the final day, they presented their findings to a diverse jury comprising faculty, medical students, alumni and a representative from student life, where they demonstrated the communication and presentation skills they had developed during the camp.

The four winning groups were awarded access to a free Basic Life Support (BLS) course, certified by the American Heart Association (AHA) and offered at the Clinical Simulation Center, which is accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

“Most students didn’t realize that research is such a key part of medicine, alongside being a leader and a good communicator,” said Dr. El Asmar. “The camp really opened their eyes to the many different disciplines within the field.”

Students had the opportunity to meet core faculty, physicians and medical students in three informal sessions. They engaged in candid discussions about the profession, explored its challenges and listened to personal experiences.

Besides getting a taste of campus life through tours and dorm stays, the high schoolers went on several excursions around Byblos.

“They enjoyed building friendships and connecting with each other, which added a special dimension to their overall experience,” said Director of Student Affairs Carmel Bouclaous. “Together with Associate Professor of Microbiology Dr. Mohamad El Mokhtar and Senior Program Manager at the Office of Medical Education Maysoon Naaman, we ensured that the students were fully supported and well cared for throughout their time with us.”

According to Dr. Bouclaous, due to the success of this year’s summer camp, the school of medicine plans to make it an annual event.

This isn’t the first camp designed to help students explore careers in healthcare; LAU also hosted nursing and pre-med summer camps for high schoolers earlier this year.