CHULA VISTA – Students at Thurgood Marshall Elementary School in Chula Vista will head to the hospital this month. But it won't be for some kind of ailment. It will be for a behind-the-scenes education into the dynamics of a hospital.
The Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center Health Academy gives fifth-graders a tour of various departments, including radiology, labs, billing and engineering, to give an overview of how a hospital works.
A goal of the academy is to spark students' interest in health careers, said Mary Cruz, community and multicultural program manager for Sharp.
“There is a shortage of staff at Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center, including nursing and physicians,” she said. “We need to see an increase of younger physicians. Probably a handful of these students in 15 to 20 years will be the ones treating us.”
Alexyss McClellan attended the academy last year. She said she was fascinated by the chemistry lab, where she learned about blood types and how doctors combine different substances in the labs.
“I really am obsessed with putting things together and watching them explode,” Alexyss said, then quickly pointed out that she and her sister have only experimented with baking soda, vinegar and soap.
Classmate Spencer Sundhal liked to see the workings of the human body.
“What was really cool was watching how the heart moves and learning about the number of heart beats that were normal and what wasn't,” he said.
A new group of Thurgood Marshall fifth-graders is scheduled to visit Sharp Chula Vista on Tuesday.
The academy, a partnership between Sharp Chula Vista and the Chula Vista Elementary School District, began in 2006 with seed money provided by a $25,000 grant from the Sharp Health Care Foundation.
Thurgood Marshall, Heritage and Wolf Canyon elementary schools are participating in the academy, and Cruz hopes to add another school by year's end.
So far, more than 300 students have visited the hospital. Students receive a ruler or a calculator as a gift from the hospital, and their school receives a microscope.
The program is also designed to assist students in passing their science aptitude tests. School officials hope the tour provides students with good visuals so they will remember key points when they take their state standardized test. The fifth-grade test quizzes students on functions of the human body, cells, blood and the skeletal body.
Experiences like these are hard to find, Thurgood Marshall teacher Sue Bowman said.
“We can't offer this in a textbook or a classroom. This program is a living classroom,” she said. “The kids come back with a lot of things to share and talk about.”
Bowman said the program does a good job showing students that you don't have to be a doctor or a nurse to work in health care.
Madeline Armstrong said she enjoyed her visit to the financial department last year.
“I especially liked how everyone can get help, and how there are people at the hospital who help other people make plans so they can afford medical care,” Madeline said.
Cruz said she hopes the program can be expanded to middle schools and high schools. She envisions high school students possibly being provided with mentorships to help them pursue a career in health care.
Amy Yarnall is a San Diego freelance writer.
