Health Care Summer Institute (HCSI)

HCSI (Health Care Summer Institute)

HCSI 2023 is in-person . Participants can look forward to a robust educational and social experience, along with full mentoring from medical students and other students who are pursing careers in other health-related fields. As well, participants will shadow clinicians, researchers and other health professionals.

 

Dates: JUNE 18 – JULY 15, 2023.

 

The Office for Diversity & Health Equity (ODHE), along with UF Health , sponsors the Health Care Summer Institute (HCSI), which is an academic program that is designed to stimulate and cultivate interest in health professions. ODHE, along with UF Health , co-sponsors the Health Care Summer Institute for high school students.  

The purpose of the program is to provide an academic enrichment opportunity, exposure to health care professions , to rising junior and senior high school  students who are historically excluded from careers in health, under-served and, or lower socioeconomic (LSE) groups, urban, and rural backgrounds, who are interested in entering health related fields such as nursing, pharmacy, occupational and physical therapy, dentistry and medicine. This program is designed to increase the number of students from these categories entering undergraduate institutions and going on to pursue careers in the health professions.

Youth in the aforementioned categories must reside in counties that fall under the following Area Health Education Centers; Northeast, Big Bend, Suwannee River and West Florida AHECs.

Students from the below counties are eligible to apply for the University of Florida Health Care Summer Institute:

 

Over a duration of four weeks in the summer, in a safe, fun and engaging environment the HCSI provides twenty four eligible students, who are selected through a fair process, with a full-on, challenging educational program that includes college-prep coursework, shadowing experiences, professional etiquette training, college workshops, and experiences that will help prepare the accepted participants for college.

Participants will have full-time support and supervision of a robust junior HCSI administrative staff except while they are shadowing a health care professional. Your assigned junior staff members will mentor you and help to ensure that you thrive academically and socially. Additional educational offerings take place in classrooms housed in the Medical Education buildings of the University of Florida College of Medicine. The hope is that the HCSI experiences will ignite a desire for participants to pursue health careers at the University of Florida College of Medicine.

 

      Housing:

 All HCSI participants are required to live on campus for the duration of the program, where they will be assigned to rooms in one of the dormitories at the     University of Florida.  All participants and staff will be grouped on the same floor of the dormitory.  Each dormitory room is comprised of double bedrooms  with two participant beds in each room, and a shared bathroom. Depending on the residential hall assigned for the program, there may be an on-suite kitchenette including a microwave and fridge, or these amenities may be in a common area.

Each participant is expected to bring and provide their own twin size bed linens, towels, laundry detergent, toiletries and washcloths. You will live in one of the residence halls on University of Florida’s West Campus within easy walking distance of the Health Science Library and classrooms, the Medical Sciences Building, the cafeteria and other dining facilities, and the general campus area.

    Dining:

As the HCSI is a residential program, participants will be housed in one of the dormitories on the University of Florida campus in Gainesville, Florida. Participants will be provided with all meals, Monday through Friday in the hospital cafeteria and on weekends, as part of a bonding activity, participants assist the HCSI staff with meal preparation.

You are given three meal coupons per day, which are restricted for use at the cafeteria on Monday through Friday and on weekends, as part of bonding activity, participants together with the HCSI staff prepare their meals. Unused meal coupons will not be refunded. You will however, be able to select from a variety of enjoyable and healthy meal options.

Although you will not be able to use your food coupons outside of the main cafeteria and off-campus, you may wish to explore other campus eateries at your own expense depending on the day, time and whether your assigned staff member, and group are amenable to that arrangement.

    Resident Life:

Your Day in a Snap Shot:

Weekday & Weeknight Activities: 

Typical Daily Schedule Monday – Friday:

7:00 a.m. – 7:45 a.m.	Breakfast
8:00 a.m. – 11:55 a.m.	Shadowing/Computer Lab /Library/Shadowing
12:00 p.m. – 12:55 p.m.	Lunch
1:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.	SAT/ACT Prep Class/Testing/Introduction to Health Professions (IHP) /Shadowing
5:40 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.	Dinner
7:05 p.m. – 7:55 p.m.	Leisure-Dorm Rooms
8:00 p.m. – 9:15 p.m.	Study Hall
10:00 p.m.	CURFEW
10:00 – 11:00 p.m.	Counselor Meeting
11:00 p.m.	LIGHTS OUT

Weekend Activities and Transportation:

The participants will not be permitted to travel anywhere without an HCSI staff member.  The participants will be transported in the personal vehicles of the staff members.  When activities are close, the participants will walk to the activities. 

All participants are encouraged to stay, rather than return home, during the weekends, as learning and activities continue throughout the weekends.  During the HCSI program, the following activities, or similar are scheduled: 

1) Dinner and attendance at an arts event (i.e. Hippodrome play).

 2) Fun Day at Lake Wauburg.

3) Movie at the cinema (age appropriate).

4) Participant Talent Show.

5) Program Banquet – the final day of the program to celebrate the participants and their accomplishments.

  

2018 Junior Staff; taken during a fun day at University of Florida’s Lake Wauburg.