Teen students spent part of their summer practicing sutures, examining pig hearts, and learning CPR through the Future Doctors Summer Camp held at Hillcrest and South Oak Cliff high schools.
The camp offered participants a hands-on introduction to medicine, with medical students serving as instructors, according to an account published by Dallas ISD’s The Hub.
Tamara Ballard, a school librarian at Martin Weiss Elementary School, helped run the camp by handling attendance, coordinating supplies and making sure the medical-student instructors had what they needed. Ballard has spent 20 years in education and curates sports and medical titles at her school library so students can find their interests on the shelves.
“I had no idea the students would have this much background knowledge. They came in eager, hands-on, and ready to learn,” Ballard said.
One session focused on CPR, with students pairing off and using the floor to simulate emergency scenarios.
“When students did their CPR lesson, a lot of them said they already had experience, so that made things easier,” Ballard said. “The students partnered up, moved the tables, and laid down on the floor. They were able to do a little skit where one person would call for help, and the other person would perform CPR.”
Another lab put students face to face with a pig’s heart. Ballard said participants remarked on the strong smell and slid their fingers into the chambers to open the organ. For many of the teens, it marked their first time examining an organ outside of a textbook or video.
Students also heard from a pediatrician who described the years of study required for the career. Ballard said the discussion reinforced medical ambitions for some students while prompting others to consider different roles within healthcare.
Ballard said the students approached the sessions seriously, with some already familiar with anatomical and medical terminology and others asking follow-up questions about college and time management.
“This is a hands-on experience that they will remember going off to college,” Ballard said. “Even if the kids choose another field, they leave with a clearer sense of themselves and the knowledge that they were trusted with real work.”
Provided by Dallas Express
