For the 27th year, area high school students have received an informative introduction to a variety of health professions through UAMS Southwest's M*A*S*H program.
Seventeen students participated in this year's program, which wrapped up Friday.
M*A*S*H, which stands for Medical Application of Science for Health, is geared to help students who are interested in a career in health care, figure out which profession is the best fit for them.
"I helps them figure out if health care is the path they want to take, and if so I hope it gives them a better idea of which profession it is that sparks their interest," said Bradi Kelley, pre-health recruiter for UAMS Southwest.
During M*A*S*H, students participated in a mock trauma with LifeNet, Inc., dissected a pig's heart with a local pathologist, worked with occupational, speech, physical and respiratory therapist and physicians with different specialties.
"I think this just gives them behind-the-scenes insight into different health professions and it allows them to do a lot of hands-on activities that otherwise they may not be able to do as a student," Kelley said.
In the past, the M*A*S*H program has been for students who would be a junior or senior in the coming year, but this year the program expanded to allow students who graduated in the spring to apply.
Jordan Montgomery, who attended M*A*S*H this year, will be a senior at Maud High School in the fall. She has many family members in the medical field.
"It's something I've always been interested in. This experience has opened me up to new professions I didn't really consider as being for me, but I'm looking into those fields a lot more now," Jordan said.
Reid Fellers, who'll be a senior at Trinity Christian School, enjoyed M*A*S*H.
"I've always been interested in the medical field, and I've always wanted to better people's lives with my life. I saw M*A*S*H as an introduction into the medical field, so I thought, 'Why not do it?'" said Reid, who wants to go into ophthalmology. "I kind of know what I want to do, but it's opened my eyes to fields I didn't know existed. I'm taking a lot away from it."
The M*A*S*H program is competitive and many more students apply than can be chosen. Between 85 and 90 students applied this year and 17 were chosen.
"Their applications are graded on a point system, so we take a lot of things into consideration," Kelley said.