March 15, 2024 – Students in the Anatomy-Physiology class with Mr. Gingold and Patient Care Pathways class with Dr. Eichmann at Clovis East High School came together for a hands-on interactive respiratory lab.
The students got to use tools like the Anatomage Table, a stand-in for a cadaver that allows students to explore the systems of the body digitally.
Dr. Eichmann says that these in-classroom tools give students a sampling of all levels of patient care, from assessment skills like taking blood pressure and pulse, to intubation.
The Patient Care Pathways students dressed in their uniform scrubs and took the role of educators on various stations pertaining to respiratory function. “It’s great to incorporate some of this hands-on so instead of just book-learning all the time,” Dr. Eichmann said, “we wanted to showcase some of the skills that the Patient Care pathways Students have learned throughout the year. “
The Anatomy-Physiology class with Mr.Gingold is an elective class,”The focus of that class is more on the biology, not so much the medical application. So right now… they are learning about the structures that make up their airways.”
The Career Technical Education (CTE) and Regional Occupational Program (ROP) classes offered on CUSD high school campuses are elective classes to prepare students for careers in or higher education leading to careers in specific industries, such as agriculture, welding, firefighting, sports medicine, and many more.
The Patient Care Pathways class was designed by Dr. Kelly Eichmann to prepare high school students for a variety of careers in medical care.
“We’re exposing, informing, and inspiring them, which is the motto of the class, to explore a medical career.” Dr. Eichmann said, “Iit’s different reading it in a book, watching a youtube video, it’s different…in a medical setting. And they start to realize that this is the reality, this is real.”
Dr.Eichmann’s students spend up to 4 days a week volunteering at Clovis Community Medical Center or Community Regional Medical Center, for acute cases.
Dr. Eichmann says this is an important part of the CTE and ROP programs; seeing whether they are cut out for this field of work.
Some students volunteer in a dentist office, or a physical therapy center in the community, to get an opportunity to see chronic and preventative care.
“CTE classes give students an opportunity to sample [careers],” says Dr. Eichmann, “The hope is that young people choose wisely and that they choose early.”
Charity Yang, Senior student in the Patient Care Pathways class, says that she feels more confident going into medical school after taking both Anatomy-Physiology and Patient Care Pathways.
Yang wants to be an Obstetrician, after working in the Delivery & Labor ward at Community Regional hospital, “I feel like, being an OB, you have the opportunity to bring people into the world.”