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| Vol. 21, No. 16 |
| September 1, 1999 |
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Programs Foster Learning Environmentat Texas Children's Student Leaders Take a Glimpse into the Future High school students participating in the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine visited Texas Children's Hospital recently to get a firsthand look at what the future holds for medicine. "It was exciting to put on scrubs and watch surgery," says Aya Aoshima of Corpus Christi, Texas. "Visiting Texas Children's has given me the opportunity to see what to expect once I become a doctor." The National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine provides students opportunities to learn about careers in medicine and their educational requirements. One of the biggest benefits is that these students are able to observe the complex issues each profession faces on a daily basis. "The students were really surprised about some of the new things they learned," says Nancy Hurst, director of the Texas Children's Milk Bank, the nation's first center that stores and prepares deposited breast milk. "When I told them about all the benefits newborns get from drinking breast milk, they were eager to learn more. This program shows students what actually takes place in a hospital." Employees from several Texas Children's Centers of Excellence volunteered their time to make the students' experience memorable. For instance, Jim Shanahan of the Texas Children's Center for TeleHealth showed students how new technology is used to transport medical files, conduct videoconferences and help perform surgery. Other Texas Children's centers participating in the program, included Diagnostic Imaging, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, the Emergency Center, Gastroentrology and Nutrition, Surgery, Otolaryngology and the Texas Children's Cancer Center. "It was a great experience to visit Texas Children's and see how everyone works together to help others," says James V. Alford II of Hamlin, W. Va. "I hope one day I will be able to help children the same way the doctors do at Texas Children's." - CATHY MASTRANTUONO
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