Confluence Health CSI Camp Gives Local Students Hands-On Look at Healthcare Careers

Fourteen local high school students recently spent a week exploring the many careers that help deliver healthcare during Confluence Health’s 2026 Confluence Student Intern (CSI) Camp, held July 6–10.

Designed to introduce students to healthcare professions and strengthen the future of the medical workforce in North Central Washington, the five-day program provided hands-on learning experiences and direct access to professionals working across a wide range of clinical, operational, and support roles.

Throughout the week, students participated in interactive activities including suture training, pig heart dissections, laboratory demonstrations, disaster preparedness exercises, rehabilitation technology experiences, and tours of specialized care areas. They also met with professionals from more than 20 disciplines, including respiratory therapy, laboratory medicine, pharmacy, physical and occupational therapy, mental health services, care management, security services, emergency transport, and many others.

Beyond introducing students to individual professions, the camp gave participants a clearer understanding of what working in healthcare can look like day to day. By spending time with professionals across multiple disciplines, students learned about educational pathways, workplace expectations, and the many ways they could build meaningful careers serving their community, helping them to make more informed decisions about their future education and career goals.

The camp is a collaborative effort between Confluence Health, the Confluence Health Foundation, and community partners, with funding support provided by Microsoft.

“CSI Camp is about helping students see the many ways they can make a difference through healthcare,” said Suzanne Carte-Cocroft, chief philanthropy officer for Confluence Health. “Many young people are familiar with physicians and nurses as roles in medicine, but healthcare depends on countless professionals working together to care for patients, including roles that are behind the scenes or less well-known. Through partnerships and community support, we can give students meaningful opportunities to explore those possibilities, connect directly with professionals, and begin imagining a future here in our region.”

One of the program’s goals is to expose students to careers they may never have considered while helping them understand how different roles work together to support patient care. Students explored everything from pathology and respiratory therapy to prosthetics, sleep medicine, laboratory sciences, human resources, and organ donation services.

Several experiences emerged as student favorites, including hands-on respiratory therapy demonstrations, where students had the opportunity to experience a BiPAP machine firsthand, and a behind-the-scenes tour of the pathology gross laboratory, where they learned how laboratory findings contribute to diagnosis and treatment decisions.

“Students often arrive with a general interest in healthcare, but by the end of the week they have a much broader understanding of the opportunities available to them,” said Casey Vogt, student coordinator at Confluence Health. “They see the teamwork involved in caring for patients, meet professionals who are passionate about their work, and gain exposure to careers they may not have encountered before. If a student leaves camp with a new sense of possibility and curiosity about their future, that’s a success.”

More than 50 Confluence Health employees, volunteers, and community partners contributed tours, demonstrations, presentations, and mentoring opportunities throughout the week. Participating organizations included Life Flight Network, Ballard Ambulance, Hanger Clinic, Wenatchee Valley College, LifeCenter Northwest, and Jones & Jones Funeral Home, among others.

“We are especially grateful for Microsoft’s support of CSI Camp this year,” Carte-Cocroft said. “Their investment helps make these hands-on learning experiences possible for local students while supporting the future healthcare workforce in our region.”

With additional support from registration fees, in-kind contributions, Confluence Health Foundation support, and grant funding, the program helps create early exposure to healthcare careers while building connections between local students and the professionals serving their community. Each year, the continued success of CSI Camp reflects Confluence Health’s commitment to education, workforce development, and keeping care local by investing in the next generation of healthcare professionals to keep the community moving forward together.