Teens Go Behind The Scenes Of Local Hospital
By Stephanie Stahl
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - High school students in the operating room. It's a unique experience for a group of special Philadelphia teenagers. They're not hanging out with friends and sleeping late, instead they're on the front lines of medicine.
Students participated in a pathology rotation. Organs are examined. Most teenagers would be grossed out looking at livers and kidneys, but not this group.
"It's an amazing opportunity that many people don't get," said Melissa Thomas.
It's Mini Medical School at Drexel University College of Medicine.
16 and 17-year-olds get to see it all, surgery, radiation, the emergency room.
"Their eyes are wide open. They are shocked by what they're seeing and awed by it. And the questions that they ask are fantastic," said Surgeon David Stein, who developed the program.
It's designed to give high school students interested in medicine an opportunity to see what they're in for, and to start molding doctors of the future early.
"It's been great. I've never imagined that I would be doing this at such a young age and actually experience the whole hospital and actually seeing patients interacting with doctors," said Monica Phann, who is 16 and interested in pediatrics.
She's among five students from Masterman selected to be Kal Rudman Scholars. The scholarships are awarded based on grades, and an essay.
"Discovery Days is aimed to get the young high school kids, who may not usually have the opportunities to excel, an exposure to healthcare," said Dr. Stein.
There are only five students who get scholarships. Drexel has other mini medical school programs. Students who are accepted have to pay about three thousand dollars.
