Rural Health Careers Camp counselor giving back to rural high schoolers
Rural Health Careers Camp counselor giving back to rural high schoolers
When Brianna Blaine was a sophomore at Amboy High School, in rural Amboy, Ill., she attended the 2019 Rural Health Careers Camp. She had no idea what she wanted to do after high school, so she went into the camp with an open mind.
Now, six years later, she’s a counselor at the same camp she once attended. Blaine, who graduated from the University of Iowa in December 2024 with a degree in human physiology, will also be a first-year student in the Rural Medical Education Program (RMED) this fall. She credits her time in the Rural Health Careers Camp with getting her on a path to medical school.
“When I did the camp, the counselors were so encouraging that I left the camp thinking I wanted to become a doctor,” says Blaine, originally from Ohio, Ill. “Throughout the rest of high school and even into college, there were a lot of moments where I became discouraged, whether it was people telling me I couldn’t do it, or telling myself I couldn’t do it. However, I always thought back to this camp where I first fell in love with the idea of practicing medicine and the people and medical students at the camp who encouraged me to do anything I set my mind to.”
The Rural Health Careers Camp takes place every summer, and this year, it’s running from Monday, June 23, through Wednesday, June 25, 2025, on the campus of Northern Illinois University, in DeKalb. Fifty high school students from several rural high schools are attending the three-day, two-night camp.
The purpose of the camp is to introduce rural high school students to several careers in the world of health care. The camp includes hands-on activities and labs to help students explore various health care fields, including rural family medicine, respiratory care, dentistry, nutrition/dietetics and emergency medicine.
Camp counselors, including Blaine, lead campers through the activities and provide plenty of useful mentorship and advice.
“I wanted to become a counselor to inspire and encourage other high school students to pursue their dreams, no matter how big they may seem, just like the previous counselors did for me,” says Blaine, who grew up on a farm. “I hope I can get some fellow farm kids excited about health care.”
The importance of rural health hits home for Blaine. Ohio, Ill., is about 35 minutes away from any hospital, clinic or urgent care clinic. That made Blaine realize how difficult it could be for rural residents to have access to health care.
“Rural health care is so important and essential,” she says. “Everyone deserves access to quality health care, regardless of where they live. I feel so excited and grateful to be part of the solution through the RMED program, where I can help close the health care gap in rural communities, like my own.”