By: North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
On July 17, Dr. Stefanie Etienne volunteered as a Healthcare Hero presenter for Camp Scrub Life: A Camp for Future Health & Science Leaders at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics. The residential camp brought together seventh through ninth grade students from across North Carolina who share an interest in health, science, and future careers in medicine.
During the session, Dr. Etienne and her co-presenter engaged campers in an interactive discussion about pathways into medicine and the broader healthcare workforce. Students participated in introductions, shared what drew them to Camp Scrub Life, and responded to a live poll about whether they were considering becoming physicians. The presentation also included a review of multiple health professions, encouraging students to compare what different healthcare roles have in common—such as responsibility for patients, integrity, honesty, caring, empathy, and knowledge. We also discussed how they differ in training requirements, cost, scope of responsibility, compensation, and day-to-day work.
The discussion then moved into why physicians choose medicine, why family medicine can be a meaningful and impactful specialty, and the wide range of career options available to medical doctors. Campers learned about differences between specialists and generalists, outpatient and inpatient care research, public health, industry, insurance medicine, and other administrative or non-clinical pathways.
Dr. Etienne also shared reflections on her own career journey and invited students to think deeply about their personal learning styles, comfort with delayed gratification and strategies for managing stress and recognizing personal limits.
Dr. Etienne’s participation reflected the spirit of mentorship and representation that helps young students envision themselves in medicine and health science careers. The presentation was very well received and left campers energized, curious, and encouraged as they continue exploring their futures as health and science leaders.
