Pilot program in Pittsburgh aims to get more young people to become doctors
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A pilot program at Allegheny Health Network aims to get more young people, particularly minorities, to become doctors.
These incoming eighth graders from Urban Pathways and Manchester Academic Charter School are learning from a dentist how to put sealants in teeth at Allegheny General Hospital.
Cara Mitchell, an eighth grader from the Hill District, said, "It's teaching me personally a lot and how we have hands-on activities and actually get to try stuff before we actually get into the real medical field, so that's helping me a lot."
Student Saniyah Jefferson-Berry from the West Side says what she's learning about the medical field is "really catching my attention." She says, "That might be something that I'd like (to do for a job), helping others."
The program is called "AHN Young Scholars." They're meeting three days a week for six weeks this summer. In their second week, the students have already worked on special mannequins for medical students, learning CPR, intubating a person and helping struggling newborn babies. The students even got to watch an open-heart surgery.
Student Lamont Maxwell from the West End, said, "We saw somebody get their heart stuff cut open and learned from Dr. Bailey how he did it."
Student Zyannah Jacobs from Northview said it was, "A little nasty at first, but then once he actually started getting into it, I was like really paying attention. So this is how you do that; that's how you do this. It was interesting to me."
The program also hopes to recruit more minorities to become physicians. AHN Young Scholars, Program Coordinator Nnenna Ukpaby explained, "We know when patients have providers that look like them, they have better outcomes, so that's very important to us."
Takayah Durham, director of First Steps and Beyond, added, "So if I go into a health care system, maybe that doctor knows a little more about what I'm going through -- perhaps there's a different way of thinking, a different way of treating."
The plan is for the same cohort of students to return to Allegheny General Hospital every summer starting this summer into high school. They'll also meet periodically throughout the school year.
This summer, they have programs on etiquette, mindfulness, health equity and community service, and as they get older, the students will also get help preparing for college applications with things like standardized testing and writing.
Student Zyannah Jacobs says she's considering becoming an obstetrician and is grateful to learn about the various aspects of medicine.
"I'm really just experimenting because I want to know what I want to do when I'm older so like whatever sticks to me is what I'm gonna do," she said.
For more information and to see if your child might qualify for future cohorts of students in the program, email program coordinator Nnenna Ukpaby at nnenna.ukpaby@ahn.org.
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