On April 2, Dos Palos High School staff took a group of Career and Technical Education (CTE) medical students on a field trip to San Joaquin Valley College (SJVC) in Fresno. The group was chaperoned by two teachers, Daryl Catrina, a social studies teacher and Dallas Lockhart, a career and technical education medical teacher.
Students were able to experience hands-on interactions to explore different health careers.
The students were divided into 5 different groups and separated into different classrooms. Each classroom had a different medical field that they could pursue in the future.
The groups were given insight into different medical pathways, such as becoming a Medical Assistant, Surgical Technician, Pharmacy Technician and Dental Assistant. They also learned about online medical billing and coding.
The students rotated to a new space every fifteen minutes. During that time students were given information and the opportunity to ask questions while exploring the designated medical side.
When going into the medical assistant room, students participated in various activities. They first learned about the process of sanitizing medical equipment being used.
They were also taught how to use a scale, how to check one’s pulse, how to read an EKG and practiced getting gloves off while preventing bacteria from spreading by using shaving cream.
Students were taught about medical billing and its process, leading them to learn about medical coding, which is part of billing. They learned about how codes worked, what they were used for and how many there are.
The students were also given a peek at what the surgical technician world looks like. They were shown various types of equipment used when performing surgeries and got to listen to stories from others with real-life experience.
While students explored becoming a dental assistant, they were given a pair of baby teeth sculpted out of clay. Students then painted the teeth to distinguish them from one another. This helped students learn how teeth are set up and the types of teeth, such as canines, premolars and molars.
Students were also shown what it’s like being a pharmacy technician. Here, students were able to get some background knowledge of how prescriptions are filled and prescribed. They were able to make a model prescription of 30 fake pills to get a feel of what it might be like.
The trip was full of different hands-on activities that will help CTE students discover what route they will take in the future.
