UAMS MASH Program Introduces High School Students to Health Care Careers
| Ask Issabella Drew about her experience at one of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ (UAMS) summer programs and you might be surprised when she mentions pig feet.
“My favorite part of the week was probably suturing,” Drew said. “We used pig feet to demonstrate all the different ways you can suture a wound. I really liked how interactive it was.”
Drew, a rising senior at Pottsville High School, was one of nearly 350 Arkansas high school students who spent part of their summer break taking part in UAMS’ Medical Applications of Science for Health (MASH) program. It’s designed to introduce Arkansas high school students to the wide variety of careers in the health care industry.
First held in 1988, MASH is a two-week program held at UAMS Regional Campuses and community hospitals across Arkansas. A similar program, condensed into a single week known as miniMASH, is also offered. Participants must be entering the 11th or 12th grades and have at least a 2.5 grade point average. In a related program, students who will be entering eighth, ninth or 10th grade are eligible for a one-week intensive Community Health Applied in Medical Public Service (CHAMPS) program.
This year, 27 different sessions were held in 23 cities around the state. The program is free for students, thanks to a partnership with Arkansas Farm Bureau. In 2023, Arkansas Farm Bureau pledged a gift of $500,000 over five years to create the Farm Bureau Fund for Excellence, which will support health career recruitment efforts.
Exposure to different health professions is a vital part of the MASH program. Students learn about various medical disciplines, what they do and how they relate to each other. They also get to interact with different health care professionals such as physicians, nurses, physician assistants, medical and radiologic technologists, respiratory therapists, dentists, pharmacists and dietitians. Emphasis is placed on how the different professions function both individually and as part of an interdisciplinary team approach to health care.
The MASH program offers a variety of hands-on activities and in-person experiences, such as:
- Tour of the UAMS mobile unit
- Suturing
- Casting
- Blood typing
- Porcine heart dissection
- Respiratory therapy
- Mock trauma simulation
- Sonography
- Genetic counseling
Drew, who attended the MASH session held at Conway Regional Medical Center, enjoyed talking with an anesthesiologist.
“I got a lot of good information from the anesthesiologist who spoke to us,” Drew said. “It helped me realize that I want to work with anesthesia. I learned a lot about schooling for that and how to go about that as a career choice.”
For Audrey Bishop, who also attended the MASH session at Conway Regional, the program helped to expand her potential career interests and highlighted areas she wants to avoid.
“I’ve always wanted to work in the medical field, but I don’t know exactly what I want to do,” said Bishop, a rising junior at Maumelle High School. “Attending this session showed me some areas that I didn’t really know were options. I have an interest in working in labor and delivery, but I also realized I’m not interested in radiology. It’s been an eye-opening experience.”
Now in its 36th year, the MASH program is a collaboration by local, state and federal organizations, including the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Partnerships with area hospitals across the state are also an important part of the program.
“The program is so beneficial because the students get to see that it’s more than just doctors and nurses within health care,” said Ursula Redmond, education coordinator for Regional Campuses. “They get to explore all the different aspects of the health care system and see how those areas interact with their communities.
“It’s funny to see their reaction when the students first get here,” Redmond added. “They’re not always sure what they’re getting into. But by the end of the session, they’re pretty excited about what they’ve experienced.”
For more information on the MASH program, visit regionalcampuses.uams.edu/mash.
