Anatomy students were able to get a closer look at what they have been studying in their textbooks and get an opportunity to experience the medical field first hand. Students were able to apply what they have been learning about the skeletal, muscle, and specialized systems and dissect the eye of a cow. After gloving up and reviewing their lab procedure, Mariners were able to dive head first into the world of anatomy.
Hands-on learning gives students a unique experience to see what they have been learning in their textbooks, in person. In this case, students practiced a dissection on a cow’s eyeball to get a better understanding of the systems needed for vision . The lesson was guided by Mr. Terreri and students partnered up to work together dissecting the eye. Junior, Evelyn Hendriks, participated in the dissection and explained how students, “are studying special senses so the dissection was to see the structure inside the eyeball, its purpose, and how it works. I think it’s fascinating to see your own body and it surprises me to see that there are structures in myself that I don’t know about. The inside of the eye was all black and I had no idea that the inside is black since the outside is white. The structure of the cow eye is pretty similar to what we have been learning, the structures are just larger, and the eyelid was a little bit of a different shape, but mostly just larger. I would like to be a physical therapist specializing in prosthetics and I would love to work in sports. From my sisters’ experience in nursing, I know that anatomy is usually the hardest course so getting a little more familiar with the topics that I know I’m going to learn about later makes me more confident about going into those programs.” Taking these CTE courses and completing a Capstone gives students a head start at a meaningful career. The CTE courses offered at Pacifica include the Digital Media Pathway, the Engineering Pathway, the Computer Science Pathway, and the Medical Pathway. Students interested in Anatomy, Kinesiology, and Med Core have the opportunity to complete their pathway with a Capstone class and receive recognition for their completion and even be offered entry level jobs for their specific path. In the case of the Medical Pathway, freshly graduated students can apply to clinics, labs, blood donation centers, and even large scale hospitals. Students like Evelyn who wish to pursue a medical career have a rare opportunity to take advantage of these classes in order to meet their future goals.
Having these memorable and educational opportunities to explore what they have been learning helps give students the confidence to follow their dreams of entering medicine. By moving beyond the textbook and having that experience to dissect the system they have been learning about, students have gained valuable first hand experience and their first step into a medical profession.
