FARMINGTON — When Kilee Nile of Solon wanted to attend Scrub Club Camp at Franklin Memorial Hospital again this year, her great-grandfather agreed to host her and her friend.
Lawrence Wilbur, 89, said the constant giggles of Nile, 14, and Emma Pluncke, 15, are filling his Farmington home this week and making him chuckle, too.
The girls are sophomores at Carrabec High School and are interested in pursuing a career in medicine. Nile is interested in radiology, Pluncke is considering nursing.
The girls joined 50 other students this week for the annual Scrub Club Camp to learn about health career opportunities with hands-on experience, including suturing pig’s feet, learning CPR, rescuing a victim from a woods trail and inserting an IV in a fake arm.
“It’s an opportunity to explore health care careers — some they may not think about,” Karen Rogers, director of education at FMH, said.
While most think of nursing or becoming a doctor, there are other opportunities, such as lab, dental and dietitian work, she said.
“It broadens their horizon as to what health care careers really are,” she said Wednesday between Scrub Club sessions.
The day camp is fully funded by a federal grant through the Area Health Education Center network, which is devoted to the recruitment and retention of health care workers, she said. The health care workforce is aging, with the average age of nurses about 55.
The camp ends Friday with a visit from LifeFlight, a large health career fair and a presentation for parents Friday afternoon.
Usually held in August, FMH moved the camp to June after its partner, Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduates Program, or GEAR UP, did not receive funding to participate this year, she said.
Students from Mt. Blue, Spruce Mountain, Mount Abram, Dixfield, Solon, Kingfield and Bangor are attending the camp, which fills quickly and has a waiting list.
Forgoing an hour commute one-way, the Solon students moved in with Wilbur, who is no stranger to FMH. A volunteer who has logged about 5,600 hours over the past 15 years, Wilbur spends his time in the mailroom, where anywhere from 200 to 1,000 pieces of mail are handled each day.
He brings the girls with him in the morning and returns to pick them up after the camp.
Nile said they are having a good time and she’s enjoyed her great-grandfather’s humor.
Nile attended the Scrub Club camp last year, staying with a friend in Jay. Several students return each year for the popular camp.
Advice received from camp counselors helps in making the right high school course selections, especially math and science courses that students may need for some medical careers.
Nile said she expects the camp experience will give her a better chance of accomplishing her career goals.
Pluncke has been friends with Nile since grade school and is also learning and enjoying the camp, she said. Blood testing done at the camp revealed she has a rare type, she said. She’ll also be certified in CPR this week.
Both girls are active in school sports. Nile competes in soccer, softball and gymnastics, while Pluncke is a varsity basketball starter and heads to school at 5:30 a.m. for a weightlifting program.
While Pluncke likes to cook and clean, Nile enjoys hunting for deer and turkey. She has shot three deer, she said.
During the camp, the girls are also learning leadership skills, meeting new friends and doing things outside their comfort zones.
abryant@sunjournal.com
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- Emma Pluncke, left, and Kilee Nile, both of Solon, are spending the week in Farmington with Nile’s great-grandfather, Lawrence Wilbur, right, so they can attend Scrub Club Camp at Franklin Memorial Hospital. Wilbur, an FMH volunteer, chauffeurs the girls to the daily health care camp.
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- Kilee Nile, left, and Emma Pluncke, second from left, both of Solon, are spending the week in Farmington with Nile’s great-grandfather, Lawrence Wilbur, right background, so they can attend Scrub Club Camp at Franklin Memorial Hospital. Wilbur, an FMH volunteer, is seated next to volunteer Debbie Gray while waiting to give the girls a ride after the medical camp Thursday.
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- Kilee Nile, left, and Emma Pluncke of Solon, right, are spending the week in Farmington with Nile’s great-grandfather, Lawrence Wilbur, center, so they can attend Scrub Club Camp at Franklin Memorial Hospital. Wilbur, an FMH volunteer, chauffeurs the girls to the daily medical camp.
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- During last year’s Scrub Club Camp at Franklin Memorial Hospital, Kilee Nile of Solon, second from left, gets help from Betsy Norton, FMH physician assistant, as she sutures a pig’s foot. Taffy Davis, FMH clinical instructor, and Karen Rogers, director of education at FMH, both standing behind students, also help.
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