On Saturday, Feb. 18, the Department of Pediatrics Mini Medical School Program had its first field trip. Eighteen 6th and 7th graders came to the Pediatric Simulation Center at Children’s of Alabama and spent a half day learning first-hand how healthcare providers work in a hospital setting.
They learned how to suture using bananas, practiced how to use an EpiPen and call 911 if they witnessed an anaphylactic event, saw how asthma is treated in the hospital, and participated in a code simulation.
The day would not have been possible without the help of the entire simulation center team, including Chrystal Rutledge, M.D., associate professor in the Division of Pediatric Critical Care, and Nancy Tofil, M.D., professor in the Division of Pediatric Critical Care, as well as the many pre-med students, medical students, and pediatric residents who came on their off day to help.
The day ended at the Adolescent Medicine Clinic where the participants enjoyed lunch and Tamera Coyne-Beasley, M.D., professor in the Division of Adolescent Medicine, introduced the students to the clinic.
The Mini Medical School Program started with a pilot program for 6th graders at the Northeast YMCA Youth Center in Spring 2022 and is co-directed by Brian Sims, M.D., Ph.D., professor in the Division of Neonatology, and Shaundra Blakemore, M.D., assistant professor in the Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine. The program has expanded to a full year offering and expanded to the Downtown YMCA Youth Center as well. Students in the program have heard from speakers from a variety of healthcare and STEM fields including physicians, respiratory therapy, pharmacy, toxicologists, forensic science, and more. They also learn via hands on experiments during each session. To learn more about the program, please visit the Mini Medical School Program website.