NORWICH – On Tuesday and Wednesday, more than 20 middle school aged students had the unique opportunity to experience a day or two in the life of a medical professional. The 2014 MASH Camp has been held annually at the Norwich hospital for over a decade.

MASH (Medical Academy of Science and Health) is an educational day camp sponsored by UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital in conjunction with Central New York Area Health Education Center.

The two organizations partner on this initiative each year in an effort to help alleviate the shortage of health professionals by encouraging young people to explore health careers.

Touring with the students to gain a better understanding of the program on Tuesday, Republican 122nd District Assemblyman Cliff Crouch lauded MASH Camp's importance in sparking interest into the minds of potential healthcare professionals of the future.

“This is a very good opportunity to pique the interest of these young adults and help them identify what types of medical careers might best suit them,” said Crouch.

This year, 'campers' will spend two days rotating between a number of hospital departments including maternity, respiratory therapy, radiology, MRI, bio-medical engineering, physical therapy, dental clinic, and surgical and emergency services.

In addition to touring the main facility, the program also took campers off site to UHS Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation and the UHS Dental Center – both located in The Eaton Center – and the UHS Imaging Center located on Newton Ave., directly behind the hospital.