AVID Students at Wilson Discover Medical Careers

School based health clinic showcases variety of professions.

Wilson students get tips on taking blood pressure from health clinic staff.

October 16, 2012

The medical field isn’t just for doctors. 

Students in the AVID (Advancement via Individual Determination) program at Wilson Middle School discovered that careers in nursing, dental health, audiometry, mental health and others await them if they choose the health care field path. Wilson’s school based health clinic worked with YDI and the school’s Elev8 program to show students how many choices they have. 

“Students got hands-on experience and really found it fascinating,” said Susan Schipull, Wilson’s AVID teacher. “It was fun to watch them.” 

AVID classes broke into small groups and rotated through six stations set up by clinic staff. Some students had never even seen the clinic. 

They learned to take blood pressure and use an otoscope to examine each other’s ears. They used the pink chewable tablets that show places a person has missed when brushing teeth. They also used a fluorescent chemical and black light to show germs that can be left on their hands to illustrate the importance of hand washing. 

Other stations involved learning about urinalysis and a discussion of behavioral health. 

Schipull said students hadn’t realized that the medical field offers so many opportunities. She said they also discovered a lot about themselves, and they were fired up to learn more. 

“It was pretty amazing,” she said. 

AVID is a program at 24 middle and high schools in APS, designed for students “in the middle” who need direction and a little boost toward college readiness. 

Schipull said clinic staff members plan to follow up with the students in the near future to talk more about health care careers and survey them about their career interests.