Jonesboro, AR – Contributed – For several years, Makayla Washington, a rising junior at eStem Public Charter School in Little Rock, has felt a pull toward a career in medicine, specifically as a pediatrician.

This week, Washington attended a medical-themed camp hosted by New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University that helped confirm her future field of study.

“This experience has not only reinforced that desire, but it’s given me the mindset that it’s something that I can and will do,” Washington said.

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Washington was one of 30 high school students who spent this week on the medical school’s Jonesboro campus participating in a program called Project H.E.A.R.T. The four-day, three-night camp allows rising high school juniors and seniors to spend time on the NYITCOM and A-State campus to learn about career opportunities in healthcare and enjoy hands-on activities that give them a taste of medical school.

The program is completely free for the students, and NYITCOM at A-State medical students serve as counselors for the event.

Participants learn about a day in the life of a medical student, hear about the undergraduate admissions process, and engage in activities that include a pig heart dissection in the NYITCOM anatomy lab. Students were also introduced to several medical procedures, including placing IVs on medical mannequins and learning about phlebotomy techniques.

Additionally, participants heard from a variety of healthcare professionals – including physicians, nurses, physical therapists and medical technicians – to learn about various roles within healthcare fields.  A majority of the students are from Arkansas with representatives from Jonesboro, Paragould, Little Rock, Hazen, Monticello, Marked Tree, Magnolia, Bentonville, Forrest City, and many more.

Project H.E.A.R.T. is one of several programs NYITCOM at A-State operates through its pipeline initiative, which is intended to encourage students to pursue medical school or other healthcare fields. 

“We have to find unique ways to get young people excited about healthcare careers and help them understand how to go about pursuing them,” said Jennifer Wharton, NYITCOM’s director of admissions and pipeline programs who serves as director of Project H.E.A.R.T. “Programs like Project H.E.A.R.T. can do just that, and that’s what makes them so important to the future of healthcare.”  

NYITCOM created Project H.E.A.R.T. in 2017, a year after the medical school opened its Jonesboro location. In 2023, the school expanded the program to Southwest Arkansas through its partnership with Henderson State University, and earlier this month, an additional 30 high school students attended the Arkadelphia-based session. Those students also traveled to Jonesboro to be on NYITCOM’s campus for part of the week.

“We’ve been fortunate to grow the program to provide opportunities to more students across the state and hopefully increase the impact,” Wharton said.

Since its inception, over 400 students have participated in Project H.E.A.R.T., and many of its graduates have gone on to attend medical school or pursue careers in nursing, physical therapy, and health education.

“We keep track of where the students end up, and years after they attend, they’ll often tell us how Project H.E.A.R.T. impacted their decisions,” Wharton said. “It’s incredibly fulfilling to hear that, and it’s why we will continue to make programs like these a priority.”

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