Home / Region + Country Categories  / Americas & Caribbean  / UNITED STATES: Salesian Students Tour Long Beach Memorial Medical Center to Enhance Their Classroom Studies

UNITED STATES: Salesian Students Tour Long Beach Memorial Medical Center to Enhance Their Classroom Studies

(MissionNewswire) Students taking part in a Biomedical Pathway program at the Salesian-run St. John Bosco High School in Long Beach, California recently had the opportunity to tour the biomedical engineering department of the Long Beach Memorial Medical Center. On the tour, students were given a behind-the-scenes look into how biomedical engineers keep track of and repair machines used to care for patients.

The tour included visits to various stations in the biomedical engineering workshop at the medical center where engineers explained how the equipment works and how technology is helping doctors and nurses provide the best care for their patients. They also shared with the students what it takes to be a good biomedical engineer: a fascination with the creation of tools that help promote peoples’ health.

The high school students also visited the medical center’s clinical simulation laboratory where they were introduced to patient simulators capable of presenting hundreds of medical conditions in realistic scenarios. The lab is used by medical students to build upon their schooling by developing practical hands-on skills. The Biomedical Pathway program at St. John Bosco gives high school students exposure to many of the major concepts behind human medicine with the goal of inspiring them to pursue higher education and a career in health care.

“Biomedical Pathway students have an interest in health care and unique experiences like this where students can meet health care professionals and explore different careers in health care first-hand is invaluable,” says Robert Linares, biomedical pathway coordinator at St. John Bosco High School.

Throughout their four years at St. John Bosco High School, students are taught health and science technology, biomedical ethics, anatomy and physiology, cell and molecular biology and biochemical genetics as well as participate in field work and gain real world experience. Students conduct independent research, participate in medical simulations and attend lectures provided by physicians, research scientists and other health care professionals. Upon graduation, students have a solid knowledge base to build a future on.

Long Beach, the seventh largest city in California, has close to 18 percent of its population under the age of 18. According to U.S Census data, the city has a poverty rate of 22.8 percent which rises to 33 percent for youth under the age of 18. Access to education and hands-on learning opportunities is critical to prepare youth for advanced studies or the workforce.

“Working in more than 132 countries around the globe, Salesian missionaries have created a vast network of primary, secondary, vocational and technical schools serving poor youth,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “With a focus on education and workforce development, missionaries provide disadvantaged youth an education and valuable resources to help them find livable wage employment all with the goal of breaking the cycle of poverty and helping youth lead meaningful and productive lives.”

###

Sources:

ANS – United States – St. John Bosco High School Students Explore Careers in Health Care

Census Data – Long Beach, CA

St. John Bosco High School