Brainstorming for an interactive 'intro to medicine' for HS students

[sugeny]

Hey guys, need some help on brainstorming.

I’m a senior med student, and my school just asked me to organize a one-hour interactive session for high-school kids interested in medicine.

My question: what would have caught your interest in high school?

some ideas my school suggested included the usual:
- suturing
- playing with ultrasound
- seeing cadavers
- stethoscopes with heart sounds

These are all pretty standard. Looking for some unique ideas too…I want it to be really cool, and to at least peak their interest in the medical field. Any suggestions would be super helpful.

Thanks a ton!

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[dr zaius]

Assuming since you're showing them cadavers you will be at school. Do you have access to anesthesia simulator dummies? Running a fake code would have been fun to high school me.

 

[PMPMD]

Hey guys, need some help on brainstorming.

I’m a senior med student, and my school just asked me to organize a one-hour interactive session for high-school kids interested in medicine.

My question: what would have caught your interest in high school?

some ideas my school suggested included the usual:
- suturing
- playing with ultrasound
- seeing cadavers
- stethoscopes with heart sounds

These are all pretty standard. Looking for some unique ideas too…I want it to be really cool, and to at least peak their interest in the medical field. Any suggestions would be super helpful.

Thanks a ton!

I would think a field trip to the gross lab to see cadavers would involve lots of paperwork. But the other ideas sound good.

 

[gators21]

I agree with cadaver lab not being the best idea. Dont know a lot of parents that would like their teenagers seeing a dead body. I like the other ideas though.
Some others:
If you have a lot of simulators:
IV workshop
Intubation

Using reflex hammers
Splinting and bandaging
Bring a bunch of white coats and stethescopes and let them wear them all day
Do some really easy case reviews like DM, pneumothorax, ect
Reading some really simple xrays, ct, mri

Hope it helps!

 

[xanthomondo]

during first year it felt like we had high school students tagging along with our group every week to observe

as young as 9th graders LOVED seeing the body, I dont think that would be a big deal at all. even if the students decide that they don't want to go into medicine i'll bet they will never forget their time in the anatomy lab

suturing, on the other hand, sounds like a bad idea (scalpels and needles around high school kids? uhhh )

 

[JackShephard MD]

I would attempt to show some cases. My favorite part of medicine is seeing a sick person, bringing in an intervention, and the patient being able to live a new/better life.

Could be videos, stories, or a real patient, etc. If you combined that with the other things, tools like stethoscope (e.g. how did they use that to help the patient) or combine it with other portions of your presentation.

E.g. if people are talking about reflex hammers, tell them how a doctor used it to diagnose a nervous problem which lead to ___ treatment and what that patient is now able to do.

 

[235009]

Do some really easy case reviews like DM, pneumothorax, ect

definitely don't do this. BORING.

i like anatomy lab, x-ray/ct/mri, intubation/chest compressions/mock code, bringing stethoscopes, reflex hammers, bp cuffs and having them practice on each other (or you)

definitely be wary of having them play with needles

 

[Houmd]

They're high schoolers. You could just put on an episode of Grey's Anatomy and then have a Q&A and they would still be excited....

 

[neusu]

If you want to go for realism, keep them up all night and then kick them in the dick.

 

[gators21]

If you want to go for realism, keep them up all night and then kick them in the dick.

 

[Houmd]

If you want to go for realism, keep them up all night and then kick them in the dick.

This was just pure awesome!

 

[sugeny]

you all ROCK! Really good stuff, thanks so much!

We don't have access to the simulation center I think that's why they asked me to organize something else, because the sim center is normally their 'go-to.'

If anyone else has ideas, feel free to drop them. I'm doing it in two weeks, let y'all know how it goes!