Students attending the Future Doctors Camp this summer weren’t the only ones learning new things.
Teacher Lawanna Evans, who helped lead the camp, walked away with important lab skills and life lessons of her own.
“It’s always interesting to hear from medical students about some of their personal experiences. There has been a wealth of knowledge that I have acquired even for myself,” Evans said.
Now, in her second year teaching at the camp, Evans said she is more comfortable in the science lab and is ready for the hands-on learning that comes with studying anatomy.
“My favorite part of the camp is the dissection of the pig heart,” she said. “While they’re studying the heart, students can apply the knowledge they are receiving and have these amazing ‘aha’ moments. Students are able to experiment and even stick their fingers through the different passageways within the pig’s heart. It’s one thing to learn from a textbook, but it’s another to actually hold and dissect a heart.”
Through a mix of hands-on lab activities and guest speakers, students also learned how to navigate scholarships and prepare for college. From studying the circulatory system one day to examining lungs the next, students were able to explore life in the medical field from the operating room.
“Some of the students want to go to medical school,” Evans said. “We even have one student studying business who just thought it would be interesting to attend. Regardless, students can take all that information and apply it.”
Evans has been able to apply what she learned at the camp in her life outside of school. For example, when her son was sick, she heard rattling in his lungs, which led to a diagnosis.
Additionally, both Evans and the students receive CPR training and learn how to use an automated external defibrillator, a portable device used to treat sudden cardiac arrest.
“With hands-on learning, students can apply the different things they are learning at camp in their science classrooms during the year, regardless of their grade level,” Evans said. “Many of the things that they’re learning can even be lifesaving.”
Teacher Lawanna Evans, who helped lead the camp, walked away with important lab skills and life lessons of her own.
“It’s always interesting to hear from medical students about some of their personal experiences. There has been a wealth of knowledge that I have acquired even for myself,” Evans said.
Now, in her second year teaching at the camp, Evans said she is more comfortable in the science lab and is ready for the hands-on learning that comes with studying anatomy.
“My favorite part of the camp is the dissection of the pig heart,” she said. “While they’re studying the heart, students can apply the knowledge they are receiving and have these amazing ‘aha’ moments. Students are able to experiment and even stick their fingers through the different passageways within the pig’s heart. It’s one thing to learn from a textbook, but it’s another to actually hold and dissect a heart.”Through a mix of hands-on lab activities and guest speakers, students also learned how to navigate scholarships and prepare for college. From studying the circulatory system one day to examining lungs the next, students were able to explore life in the medical field from the operating room.
“Some of the students want to go to medical school,” Evans said. “We even have one student studying business who just thought it would be interesting to attend. Regardless, students can take all that information and apply it.”
Evans has been able to apply what she learned at the camp in her life outside of school. For example, when her son was sick, she heard rattling in his lungs, which led to a diagnosis.
Additionally, both Evans and the students receive CPR training and learn how to use an automated external defibrillator, a portable device used to treat sudden cardiac arrest.
“With hands-on learning, students can apply the different things they are learning at camp in their science classrooms during the year, regardless of their grade level,” Evans said. “Many of the things that they’re learning can even be lifesaving.”
