Camp BONES (Brigade of Nurse Exploring Seahawks) is a nursing and health academy for underserved and underrepresented middle and high school students from New Hanover County and the surrounding eight rural counties in the southeastern North Carolina region. Student cohorts enter the academy in the 8th or 9th grade and continue through the 12th grade. Students selected must have a B average and a recommendation from an appropriate school official. The students must also have expressed an interest in a nursing or health sciences career. The small well-defined cohorts are engaged in an intense, rigorous educational curriculum, making them academically competitive for admission to nursing and other health science college programs. The eventual goal of academic preparation for college is to prepare underserved and underrepresented students to enter nursing and health science professions to meet the diverse health care needs of North Carolinians.
The goals of the academy are (a) to address the looming shortage of nurses in North Carolina, (b) to encourage racial/ethnic minorities and males, both of whom have been traditionally underrepresented in nursing and health science professions, to pursue careers in nursing or other health sciences, (c) to expose participating students to an intensive four-year nursing and health science academy including math, chemistry, biology, anatomy, and other natural sciences courses to prepare them for admission into a college or university, (d) to expand Camp BONES for additional participants through (calendar) Year 2009 in UNCW’s nine-county service region, and (e) to collaborate with Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) Division of Nursing to replicate the Camp BONES model in Forsyth and surrounding counties.
The educational programs for the Camp BONES academy are offered during summers and weekend intensives held each fall and spring. The programs concentrate on the following:
- Nursing career exploration
- Human patient simulation skills-building
- Shadowing experiences in hospitals, public health, nursing home, and other health agencies
- Research about health issues
- Public presentations
- Academic enrichment in science, math, chemistry, technology, and health
- Health promotion programs through yearly Youth Health Summits
Funding
The Camp BONES Nursing and Health Academy is funded through grants provided by the North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Foundation and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund.
Photo Gallery
Class of 2006
June 17, 2008 - Port City CSI
June 18, 2008 - CPR Training
June 24, 2008 - Community Service Trip
Class of 2007
July 13-18, 2008 - YEP & Computer Sessions
Class of 2008
June 25, 2008 - Orientation Dinner
July 21, 2008 - Airlink EMS Helicopter Visit
