Thursday, July 11, 1996

Summer Program Gives Students a Chance to Try Medical Careers

By JENNY NELSON
Bryan-College Station Eagle

COLLEGE STATION - Sara Smetzer dilates the pupil of her patient's eye, checks her pulse and looks into her ear to check for any signs of sickness.

Sara is not a doctor, she is a Dallas high school student living a dream. She is one of 89 high school students from all over the country participating in the 11-day National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine in the Texas A&M University Medical School lab.

This program gives students who want to study medicine a chance to watch medical students and physicians at work.

"First and foremost we tell them what it will take to get into medical school," said Filomeno Maldonado, director of admissions in the office of student affairs at the medical school. "We want them to see the rigor involved in that process."

These students are among hundreds of other students participating in similar forums across the country in places such as George Washington University Hospital, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and St. Luke's Hospital in Houston.

"We're in pretty good company," said Tommy Bosquez, program coordinator in the office of student affairs at Texas A&M. "Through this, Texas A&M's Medical School's visibility will be increased."

Maldonado said the program is designed to ensure students are choosing the medical profession for the right reasons, not for money or glamour.

"We tell them it's delayed gratification," he said. "The average med student is in debt $50,000 in this state when they get out ... it's a little higher across the nation."

Maldonado said students enrolled in medical school usually have undergraduate degrees. Maldonado said medical school at Texas A&M includes two years of basic science classes and two years of clinical experience.

After medical school, students apply for a residency that can last up to seven years, depending on their specializations, Maldonado said.

"The long time doesn't bother me," said Jamie Kiker of Locust, N.C. "I've always dreamed of being a doctor."

Second-year Texas A&M medical students gave the high school students tours of the medical school which included practicing with doctor's instruments, handling human brains and a presentation on diseased organ models.

"The best part is seeing the students look into the ears and eyes and realizing what the doctor has been looking for all those years," said Becky Riser, a second-year medical student.

Texas A&M's Medical School opened 20 years ago, and now enrolls 64 students per year, Maldonado said.

"We want to recruit these kids to Texas A&M, as well as our med school," Maldonado said. "This may be many of the students' first contact with a medical school.

"For some students it's a little frightening. Some students don't really know what's involved in the entire process."

Matt Wurdeman, a high school student from San Diego, said he wants to be a cardiovascular surgeon but before his visit to Texas A&M he didn't know much about the medical field.
"I was kind of ignorant of the medical field," he said. "They give you a good introduction to it, and I haven't changed my mind yet."

Bosquez said a lot of high school students decide they want to go to medical school after talking to a teacher or a doctor. This program gives them the chance to see what becoming a doctor entails.

"The bottom line is that this empowers the students with information," Bosquez said. "They'll be informed to make some good decisions when they leave here."