Thirty-three students from Colton High School’s new Health Education Academy of Learning (HEAL) program, visited Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC) on Oct. 16, 2013 to get a first-hand look at health care. Students took a tour of ARMC and had the opportunity to speak with health care professionals from the Emergency Department and Trauma Center, Medical Imaging and the Clinical Laboratory. The collaboration helps achieve the Countywide Vision’s regional goal to partner with all sectors of the community to support the success of every child from cradle to career.
“This visit is a continuation of our partnership with Colton High School and it gives students a chance to get out of their classroom and see us in action,” said Dr. Rodney Borger, chairman of ARMC’s Emergency Department, who led the students on a tour of the hospital’s emergency room and trauma area. “It benefits the hospital to work with students from the community who are seeking careers in health care, because we can help to shape our future work force.”
The students viewed ARMC’s new state-of-the-art 320-detector row Computed Tomography system that allows medical staff to see internal organs more clearly and quickly than ever before; learned about hemoglobin (the substance inside red blood cells that carries oxygen to the cells of the body), and learned how to connect a patient to a cardiac monitor.
Jesus Menchaca, 14, of Colton, who was born at ARMC in 1999, participated in an ultrasound demonstration during the tour of ARMC’s emergency room and trauma area. “I would like to eventually be an emergency room doctor,” he said.
The high school’s HEAL program is a four-year college preparatory program that operates as a specialized learning community within the high school and combines academic coursework with clinical instruction. The curriculum includes service learning projects, job shadowing, and internships in the community. The mission of HEAL is to place students on a path that prepares them for college while developing the skills essential for employment in the health care industry.