TranslateInternational Women and Girls in Science Day recognized in Clubs
Fletch's Perspective
Thank you, Cleveland Clinic Martin Health, for making the opportunity possible.
First, they’ll receive a file detailing the conditions of their patients. They’ll then don scrubs, cover their shoes, wash their hands, put on gloves and step into the operating room.
After assessing each patient, the surgeons will perform the prescribed procedures, ranging from wound treatments to organ transplants to tumor removals. Along the way, they’ll face heart failures and flatlines—forcing them to scramble and revive their patients before continuing the lifesaving procedures.
What sounds like an episode of Grey’s Anatomy is an unforgettable educational experience for the kids at Boys & Girls Clubs of Martin County (BGCMC). And it just might inspire a few careers in medicine.
It all takes place Feb. 11. What debuted last year at only our Hobe Sound club as a centerpiece of International Day of Women and Girls in Science—originally intended to introduce particularly girl club members to careers in health and science—has since expanded to every member of all four clubs.
This immersion experience—which casts our members as a surgical team conducting a challenging operation—is made all the more meaningful and realistic thanks to our pre- and post- “op” lesson plans and the support of Cleveland Clinic Martin Health.
We’re extremely grateful for the generosity of the hospital, which donated the operating gowns, caps, gloves, and key pieces of equipment to enhance the sense of realism.
For the backdrop, club classrooms are transformed into operating rooms. The “patients” consist of life-size paper cutouts, complete with laminated paper organs. The “surgery” consists of a process that requires members to recall recent anatomy lessons as well as solve age-appropriate math questions, in which right answers correspond with necessary steps to treat the patient.
There’s even a heart monitor that surprises the “surgeons” by beeping loudly when the patients’ vitals fail, prompting the “doctors” to perform emergency CPR.
The aim of the lesson—in addition to introducing more girls to such fields—is to spark greater curiosity about science. That’s exactly the interest it had on participants at the Hobe Sound event.
“It inspired me to study about science more,” says Amir.
Deanna, 8, agreed.
“I told my mom and dad that I want to know more science,” she says. “Then for my birthday, I got a book about NASA. I’m hoping for my next birthday I get another book about science, because I finished that one.”
That’s the thirst for knowledge that we hope to awaken at BGCMC, because its sincere pursuit will produce not only professional satisfaction, but untold societal benefits.
