The Richard A. Henson Medical Simulation Center recently welcomed 300+ Wicomico County Public Schools ‘Thinking and Doing’ (T.A.D.) students as part of a series of visits aimed at introducing the 3rd-5th graders to various careers in healthcare.
Full Article from https://www.wmdt.com/2023/11/t-a-d-program-allows-local-elementary-students-to-explore-robotics-careers-in-health-care/ posted below:
SALISBURY, Md.- “Something that shocked me was how advanced the technology is,” Qaiser said.
Mustafa Qaiser is a 5th grade student taking part in Wicomico County Public Schools’ ‘Thinking and Doing’ (T.A.D) program. The program provides advanced instruction to Gifted and Talented students in grades 3rd-5th from schools across the county. Students can explore a variety of topics and then go hands-on with fieldtrip opportunities to explore that content on a deeper level.
Its newest unit called ‘Medical Marvels’ is allowing those student interns a glimpse at a career in health care. “We’re learning about the immune system, muscular system, and just like the whole body,” Qaiser said.
“Gifted and Talented students really need that differentiation. One of the things that they talk about is having them work with real professionals so that they can understand what opportunities are out there for them,” T.A.D Instructor Kristen Briggs said.
With their partnership with Salisbury University’s Richard A. Henson Medical Simulation Center, the 10,000 thousand square foot facility filled with things like high-tech equipment to even robotic mannequins are now at students’ fingertips. “It is a place for nursing and respiratory therapy students, but I want them to think about other things that they can potentially do that are associated with careers that are needed and pay well,” Henson Medical Simulation Center Director Kevin Glover said.
Center staff said they hope sparking that interest in STEM early can help bolster the local health care pipeline. “Start them in elementary school, then hopefully follow the same kids through middle school and ramp up the simulations. Then, follow those same kids through high school and ramp up the simulations and so forth,” Glover said.
As for Mustafa, he may already be one step ahead. “I never really thought of the medical field, but now I’m actually starting to think about it. Last year we learned about architecture and that really opened my eyes to that too,” Qaiser said.
“I think our students are walking away feeling like they’re doctors and understanding what it would take to work in the medical field,” Briggs said.
Wicomico County Public Schools said grant funding from the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore also helped support those field trips.