By CASEY PEARCE | NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine

Erin Cowart, a rising junior at Kirby High School, has felt a pull toward a career in nursing. Last week, Cowart attended a medically-themed camp hosted by NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine and Henderson State University that helped confirm her future field of study.

“I walked away from last week believing even more that this is the profession for me,” Cowart said. “It left me feeling motivated and confident that this is the path I want to pursue.”

Cowart was one of 10 students, most of whom are from Southwest Arkansas, who last week participated in a program called Project H.E.A.R.T. The camp is led by New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University (NYITCOM at A-State), a medical school in Jonesboro which has hosted the camp in Northeast Arkansas since
2017.

Thanks to a partnership between NYITCOM at A-State and Henderson State University, the program expanded this summer to include events on the HSU campus in Arkadelphia. Dr. Shane Speights, an Arkadelphia native who earned his undergraduate degree from HSU before attending medical school, is the dean of NYITCOM at A-State, which opened in 2016 through a private-public partnership between New York Institute of Technology on Long Island and Arkansas State University in Jonesboro.

According to Speights, NYITCOM at A-State began engaging HSU leadership about potential collaboration opportunities shortly after HSU joined the ASU system in 2021. Project H.E.A.R.T. became the first program that was executed as a result of that relationship.

“It was just an outstanding week,” Speights said. “These types of programs are vital to the future of healthcare. We have to find unique ways to get young people excited about healthcare careers and help them understand how to go about pursuing them. The more opportunity we have to do that, the better off we will be. It was particularly special to me to see the collaboration that took place between NYITCOM and HSU so students in Southwest Arkansas were able to enjoy the experience.”

Project H.E.A.R.T. is an acronym for Health Education, Advocacy, Reflection, and Training. It is a residential summer camp aimed at enlightening students about future careers in health care and providing information on higher education and community health. The program is completely free to rising high school juniors and seniors and is aimed at students like Cowart who are interested in healthcare careers.

NYITCOM medical students serve as counselors for the event. Participants also hear from variety of healthcare professionals, including physicians, nurses, physical therapists and medical technicians to learn about various roles within healthcare fields. They also learn about a day in the life of a medical student, hear about the undergraduate admissions process, and engage in educational activities that include a pig heart dissection in the NYITCOM anatomy lab.

Project H.E.A.R.T. participants began the week in Arkadelphia last Tuesday, traveled to Jonesboro for activities on the A-State/NYITCOM campus on Tuesday and Wednesday and returned to HSU to conclude the camp on Thursday and Friday.

“I really enjoy learning about anatomy, so the heart dissection was my favorite part,” Cowart said. “It was great to get the experience of being on a college campus, and the counselors were really supportive and helped us learn.”

Speights said NYITCOM and HSU plan to make Project H.E.A.R.T. an annual event in Arkadelphia, with hopes to see participation grow.

“The students who attend Project H.E.A.R.T. just have such a great experience,” Speight said. “We are grateful for the opportunity to provide that to them, and we can’t wait to years from now hear about the impact this program has made in terms of students that do go on to receive a nursing degree or attend medical school or pursue a number of different careers in healthcare.”