In summer 2025, the University of Alberta is running the Asclepius Medical Camp for Youth in Grande Prairie and Edmonton. The camp was created to support a ‘grow your own’ approach to healthcare worker attraction and retention by providing (rural) students with an opportunity to learn more about medical professions. The camp includes talks on human anatomy and physiology, clinical skills, group activities, interaction with medical students, physicians and patients, learning about financial planning for training, and has games and social events.
To be eligible, applicants must:
- Have a rural background, especially for the Grande Prairie Camp
- May come from a lower income and/or racialized family
- Be in grades 9-12 in the 2024-2025 school year
- Love learning, even if they don’t have high grades
- Have a good attitude and willingness to work as a team
The Grande Prairie camp runs from July 22-25, 2025. Some accommodation is available for students traveling to the camp from outside of the area. Rural students outside of Edmonton may attend the Edmonton camp from July 7-11, 2025. While camp registration is free, students are required to pay for travel to the camp and two meals per day (lunch and snacks provided).
This camp supports two RMA resolutions:
- Resolution 1-24F: Attraction and Retention Strategy for Rural Health Care Professionals
- This resolution supports the ‘grow your own’ approach to rural healthcare worker shortages.
- Resolution 15-25S: Enhancing Access to Post-Secondary Education for Rural Alberta Students
- This resolution recognizes that rural students face challenges in accessing postsecondary education, which this camp addresses by offering a low-cost summer camp that enhances rural student exposure to postsecondary opportunities.
Let RMA know if a student you know attends this camp. We’d love to hear about it. Good luck with your application!
Ashley Hadley
Policy and Research Analyst
825.319.2284
ashley@rmalberta.com
Wyatt Skovron
General Manager of Policy and Advocacy
780.955.4096
wyatt@rmalberta.com