Pharmacy Summer Camp gives high school students insight into pharmacy profession

Students will learn about human health, pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences through teaching and hands-on activities

A new summer camp based at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy will give high school students a range of experiences in pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences and expose them to potential career opportunities in the field.

Pharmacy Summer Camp, which consists of four week-long sessions, will teach students about human biology and physiology, pharmacology, pharmaceutical sciences and communication skills through teaching, group work and hands-on activities.

“The camp will help students picture themselves in pharmacy, health care or research and help motivate them toward that career path,” says Kathy Vu, associate professor (teaching stream), who has been leading the development of the camp.

“Students will have opportunities to explore what it's like to be in a health-related setting so that they can build their confidence, learn about what it's like to be in a lab and interact with patients. We’re trying to expose students to this early so they can better understand careers in the field.”

Pharmacy Summer Camp, which is developed in collaboration with STEM Fellowship and PharmPath, is a unique program in Canada. Up to 50 campers each week will have opportunities to learn about human health and the pharmacy profession through simulated health assessments, tours of the facilities at the Faculty and U of T campus, lab experiments and group work. Faculty, Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) students and pharmaceutical sciences graduate students will lead the sessions and participate in informal chats to share their experiences with campers.

Through the camps, high school students will gain a better understanding of health care, pharmacy and real-world applications of science, as well as develop their skills in teamwork, problem-solving and communication.

Vu says that it’s important for high school students to gain exposure to different career paths early in their secondary education to learn about the opportunities available to them.

“Our goal is to expose students earlier to pharmacy and health care pathways so they can consider what their path might look like in those fields, and maybe they will eventually come back to do the PharmD or pharmaceutical sciences program here,” she says.

“Not everybody is going to follow a pharmacy path, but the summer camp aims to provide them with skills that they can take to any type of health care discipline.”

New Scholarships Available 

Pharmacy Summer Camp is open to any high school student in grades 9 to 12. By collaborating with PharmPath, a program for high school students from diverse backgrounds, the summer camp particularly encourages students from underrepresented communities to attend. The Faculty will be offering ten $500 scholarships to students with financial need, with an application deadline in early May

Vu is looking forward to opening the doors of the Faculty to high school students and highlighting the many opportunities in clinical care and research that pharmacy professions provide.

“We're excited to showcase the faculty, the building, our labs and facilities, but we’re also looking forward to welcoming these students and sharing our excitement for the profession,” says Vu. “We want to give students the opportunity to broaden their understanding of what it is to be a pharmacist and work in health care and to see themselves in those roles.”

Find out more about Pharmacy Summer Camp and register here