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Camp Carilion

Camp Carilion is for rising eighth- and ninth-graders who are interested in a future career in health care. Started in 2006 by Carilion Clinic, the program began including the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine in 2011. Today, the four-day adventure also visits Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, Radford University Carilion, and the Carilion Pharmacy at 3 Riverside Circle. At each of these locations, students have the opportunity for career exploration through hands-on exercises and interactive demonstrations.

Camp Carilion participant checking the nose of a standardized patient
Nosing Around: A Camp Carilion student looks for signs of a cold or allergies in a "patient" acting out specific symptoms as part of the Standardized Patient Program.
Camp Carilion participant checking the throat of a standardized patient
Say Ahhhh: One of the participants in Camp Carilion examines a standardized patient - an actor playing the role of a patient with specific symptoms.
Whiteboard showing the symptoms of the common cold
Diagnosing the Problem: Students at Camp Carilion attempt to determine what is ailing their "patient" after a brief examination. The patients acted out their symptoms as they do for medical students as part of the Standardized Patient Program.

Camp Carilion is designed to prepare the future health care workforce by introducing adolescents to a variety of health care careers, particularly careers with which they may not already be familiar. The goal is to ensure students who attend camp are more interested in health care careers at the end of the week. Promoting health care careers at the middle school level allows students to prepare by taking necessary high school classes and planning for college.

Lexi Mycock, a summer intern helps a Camp Carilion camper apply makeup made to look like a medical trauma.
Masterpiece in the Making: Lexi Mycock, a summer intern for the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, helps a Camp Carilion camper apply moulage - makeup made to look like a medical trauma.
Two participants in Camp Carilion show off the gashes they gave themselves using makeup.
Battle Scars: Two participants in Camp Carilion show off the gashes they gave themselves using makeup.
Here, a couple of campers try their hand at applying moulage - using makeup to simulate medical trauma
Carilion Moulage: Moulage is the art of using makeup to simulate medical traumas. Here, a couple of campers try their hand at the practice during Camp Carilion.
Four campers from Camp Carilion show off their moulage work, including burns, black eyes, and gashes.
Sisters in Battle: Four campers from Camp Carilion show off their moulage work, including burns, black eyes, and gashes.

A typical Camp Carilion day at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine includes four hours of workshops and hands-on activities, an interactive session with the school's standardized patient program actors, and a moulage session where participants apply mock injuries to themselves using makeup and prosthetics.

For more information about Camp Carilion, call Karri Proctor, Carilion Clinic's student services advisor at 540-581-0303 or email her.

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