Healthcare Career Camp Inspires Next Generation

On April 24, more than 250 high school students from across Kitsap County packed into the Marvin Williams Recreation Center (MWRC) to learn all about the different health care career opportunities during the second annual Healthcare Career Camp, hosted by Virginia Mason Franciscan Health (VMFH), Olympic College (OC), and MWRC.

The event is designed to introduce high school students to the wide range of health care professions and build a diverse pipeline of students interested in entering the field. According to the Kitsap Economic Development Alliance, one of the top health care challenges in the county is having enough trained health care professionals to meet the current needs of the community. Early exposure to potential career opportunities, and making pathways more accessible.

"I am truly proud and inspired by VMFH's investment in our community through such a creative and impactful initiative," stated Allie McLaughlin, RN, Interim Vice President of Operations at St. Michael Medical Center. "These partnerships will continue to support Kitsap County youth in their future careers, while also providing a valuable pipeline for St. Michael Medical Center to develop its own health care workforce across numerous fields."

At the camp, students engaged with health care professionals at interactive booths representing a wide array of specialties, from surgical technology and pharmacy to dental hygiene, emergency and family medicine, nursing, and physical therapy. Beyond conversations, students participated in mock intubation; they practiced suturing; their nutrition knowledge was put to the test, and much more.

The radiology, sonography and surgical tech booths were packed, which are lesser known career paths, but vital to meeting the needs of the community. All three of the programs are being offered at OC starting this fall to further expand access to opportunities for area youth and aspiring health care professionals.

“I am so inspired today—just seeing their faces and seeing them get excited about potential careers that they didn't even know existed,” said Alecia Nye, Dean of Nursing and Allied Health at Olympic College. “I was an Olympic College graduate. Olympic College changed my life, and this community changed my life. So when I became an administrator, knowing that we had such dire shortages of these health care professionals, my goal was to create these pathways right here in Kitsap County so people don't have to leave.”

One Bremerton High School student heading to Gonzaga University for pre-med, shared, "I got to talk to physicians and others about their experiences, the process they went through, and the steps they took. I even gained a better understanding of other jobs in case my plan to become a physician doesn't work out."

Another student who comes from a family of nurses, will be attending Olympic College after graduation. "I really want to do nursing, but mainly working with babies—maybe ultrasound or labor and delivery," Bremerton High School student Arianna said.

Dr. Lillian Robertson, executive director of the MWRC and an obstetrician-gynecologist at St. Joseph Medical Center recognizes the need for more health care workers. She says she was pleased to see so much excitement from students in the room, noting that some students returned for a second time this year.

“Health care is a path filled with purpose and tremendous opportunities that can change lives. When students catch that vision, they start dreaming bigger, believing in themselves, and seeing that they can be the ones to care for and lift up their own neighborhoods one day," Robertson shared.

McLaughlin added, "It's really fun to see my experience lived out in these students now and to help them go through the same track I did and to become something that they're proud of."

Attendance at the event nearly tripled compared to its inaugural year in 2024, and organizers are committed to further expanding its reach in the years to come.

The event was generously funded through the Olympic Community of Health and would not be possible without support from additional community partners including: Black Student Union - Kitsap, Kitsap Strong, Kitsap Immigrant Assistance Center, Our Gems, Olympic College Foundation, and Voices of Pacific Island Nation.