Lynnfield’s Campbell Wallin Balances Austin Prep, Harvard Medical School and Becoming an EMT

This story was contributed by Austin Prep, a Patch Community Partner. The views shared reflect the author's perspective and feature real experiences from the Austin Prep community.

At 17, Lynnfield resident Campbell Wallin '27 is spending her senior year learning at Harvard Medical School while working toward EMT certification, gaining clinical experience in a dental practice and preparing to join ski patrol.

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The Austin Prep senior is enrolled in a year-long Medical Science course that includes hands-on experiences at Harvard Medical School through Austin Prep's collaboration with the MEDscience Program. Wallin was one of 20 seniors selected from 70 applicants for this year's course.

"I feel like it's a really good opportunity to be in the environment and learn hands-on instead of just being in the classroom," Wallin said.

Her interest in healthcare began years earlier and has continued to grow as she has pursued opportunities to experience the field firsthand.

"I started loving medicine in middle school," Wallin said. "I was always really excited about it. There are so many dynamics to it and so many opportunities. You can do a million different things, and I like that it's different every day."

One of Just Two High School Students in Her EMT Class, Wallin Is Building Healthcare Experience Before College

Wallin began gaining professional healthcare experience during her sophomore year when she started working at PDA Dental in Reading. She continues to work there three days a week, bringing patients into treatment rooms before they meet with the hygienist, preparing and cleaning rooms, helping collect patient histories and supporting the office staff.

This summer, she took another major step by enrolling in EMT training at McNeilly EMS in Danvers.

Of the 20 students in the program, Wallin was one of just two high school students.

"Most of the people were in college, beyond college, firefighters," she said.

Emergency medical services appealed to Wallin because of the variety of the work and the opportunity to challenge herself.

"I like things that change," she said. "I wanted to do something a little bit more out of my comfort zone because I thought that would be exciting."

Her training introduced her to different areas of emergency medical services, including inter-facility transport, where EMTs monitor patients as they move between healthcare facilities, and 911 emergency response.

Wallin is now working toward completing the EMT certification process and hopes to gain experience working in the field. She also hopes to continue emergency medical work in college.

A Senior-Year Medical Science Course Takes Her Inside Harvard Medical School for Hands-On Learning

Wallin first became interested in Austin Prep's MEDscience experience after seeing friends participate the previous year.

"I had a couple friends that were in this physics class that went to Harvard, and I was like, 'That's really cool. I want to do that,'" she said.

That interest aligned naturally with the healthcare path she was already pursuing. For Wallin, the opportunity at Harvard Medical School offers another way to develop skills she expects to use throughout her career.

"I hope to learn more about patient interaction because I feel like that's the biggest part," Wallin said. "I think it's really important to understand how to communicate things clearly and well and have better patient care etiquette."

During the first Harvard MEDscience experience of the year, Wallin and her classmates worked through a simulated patient diagnosis before moving into laboratory work involving cancer cells. Students gathered information about their patient, considered possible diagnoses and then examined cell samples under microscopes as part of a cancer-cell morphology lab.

The experience is the beginning of a full year of clinical reasoning, laboratory work, teamwork and patient communication for Wallin and her classmates.

From EMT Training to Ski Patrol and Nursing, Wallin's Goal Is Clear: Be There for the Patient

Wallin's growing experience in healthcare is also helping shape what she wants to do after Austin Prep.

She plans to study nursing and is considering schools like Providence College and the University of Rhode Island. URI particularly interests her because its on-campus EMS program could allow her to continue gaining emergency medical experience while pursuing her degree.

Direct interaction with patients is a major part of what draws her to nursing.

"I want to be with the patients," Wallin said.

Her healthcare experience will also extend to the mountains this winter. Wallin, a three-year member of Austin Prep's ski team and part of its championship teams, is preparing to volunteer with ski patrol at Sunday River, where she regularly skis.

She has already shadowed members of the patrol and learned how the role combines emergency response with responsibility for safety across the mountain. Ski patrollers monitor conditions, respond when assistance is needed and help identify areas that may require warnings or closures.

"It's about keeping the mountain safe," Wallin said.

Wallin is the first person in her immediate family pursuing a career in medicine. Her experiences at Harvard Medical School, in EMT training, at a dental practice and with ski patrol are giving her opportunities to explore healthcare from several perspectives before she begins college.

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