WWHS Freshmen Begin Ohio University's Aspiring DOctors Precollege Program
On Friday, November 4, nineteen 9th grade students from WHHS visited OU-HCOM for the first time to kick off their participation in the Aspiring DOctors Precollege Program! This is the first cohort of students that will be able to participate in the entire program from 9th – 12th grade! This first visit serves as an introduction to the program. The students began with a presentation that introduced them to osteopathic medicine, careers in primary care medicine, and ways to start preparing now for medical school or other professional school programs. After that, students engaged in hands-on activities with OU-HCOM staff and faculty.
During clinical skills, students learned how critical proper hand washing is and then practiced the special technique for putting on sterile gloves. This was followed by an activity with OU-HCOM physiologist, Dr. Barresi, during which students learned about the layers of skin and how fingerprints are formed. They each got to fingerprint their classmates so each student could determine his/her unique fingerprint shapes. The last activity of the day allowed the students to assume the role of college admission officers! As a group, students discussed the positive and negative qualities of the applicants applying to their “colleges” and then decided which students they wanted to admit. This was followed by a discussion on what colleges/universities are looking for in applicants and how 9th grade students can start engaging in those behaviors and activities now.