TURTLE LAKE – Sixty students in sixth grade will take part in the Rural Collaborative Opportunities for Occupational Learning in Health (R-COOL-Health) Scrubs Camp on March 26, hosted by and held in Turtle Lake at Northland Health Centers.

The camps offer creative, interactive activities with hands-on experiences in several health career tracks. Students will learn about the many local career options available in healthcare fields, including nursing, lab and X-ray services, dentistry, public health, and surgical technician, among others.

Sixth graders from Turtle Lake, Underwood, Washburn, Riverdale, Coleharbor and rural families in McLean County are scheduled to attend.

R-COOL-Health Scrubs Camps are in their 16th year and will take place in 12 communities across North Dakota. They are funded by the Center for Rural Health (CRH) at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences. Community schools, healthcare facilities, and economic or job development authorities partner to increase collaborations and awareness of the economic impact of healthcare in North Dakota.

“Research has shown that getting students interested at a young age is an effective way of meeting rural healthcare workforce needs,” said Nicole Threadgold, grant program director at CRH, in a news release. “Our goal with the Scrubs Camps is to partner with and support the North Dakota communities that coordinate and host these camps. By utilizing local resources, students learn of the variety of healthcare careers available in their local community.”

Organizations collaborating in this effort include Trinity Health, Focus Therapy, CHI St. Alexius, Northland Health Centers, First District Health Unit and Community HealthCare Association of the Dakotas.

The current and projected shortage of healthcare professionals in North Dakota and across the nation is creating a critical demand for an increased healthcare workforce, according to Northland Health Centers. A national shortage of up to 124,000 physicians is predicted by 2033 and more than 200,000 nurses will need to be hired each year to meet increased demand and to replace retiring nurses.