New version of Survivor Aroostook starts Monday

PRESQUE ISLE – About 56 incoming high school freshmen from Fort Kent to Houlton will compete reality-TV-style next week as they learn about jobs in the health care industry during Survivor Aroostook IV.

The health care careers exploration camp, based loosely on the reality television game “Survivor” and facilitated by The Aroostook Medical Center, will take place from June 26 to 30 at Northern Maine Community College in Presque Isle.

Students will participate in various interactive, hands-on health care career activities and disaster preparedness drills. According to organizers, health care professionals from all four County hospitals will come together to contribute their expertise for this fourth annual event.

“This is a grass-roots effort to get kids up here interested in the health care industry,” Joel Johndro, with TAMC’s public relations office, said Thursday.

Johndro said officials with the hospital’s human resources department came up with the idea for the event, which was spurred by a shortage of nurses and other medical professionals in the area. The hospital has recruited many such professionals over the years from outside the region.

During the event, students will learn about several health care careers, everything from emergency room doctors and physical therapists to nurse midwives and radiologists. Something a little different this year includes a tour of the hospital where students will spend time in the lab-morgue, imaging center and with social workers participating in hands-on activities.

Camp highlights also include a disability obstacle course, a career exploration workshop complete with hands-on activities and demonstrations, an exhibition by the Maine Wheelers Basketball group and a mock disaster demonstration.

The event will end Friday with a closing ceremony where students will illustrate to their parents what they learned during the week.