Nearly 100 sixth-grade students from Honowai Elementary School in Waipahu got a glimpse of their potential careers in medicine during a physician pathway tour hosted by the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa medical school.
The event, designed to inspire young learners, marked the first time that an entire sixth-grade class attended such a program at the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM).
Organized by JABSOM’s Hawaiʻi/Pacific Basin Area Health Education Center (AHEC), the tour aligned with the students’ classroom curriculum, focusing on topics like the microbiome and the dangers of smoking, vaping and drug use.
Planting the seeds of medicine early
Students also engaged in hands-on activities, including learning how to take a patient’s blood pressure and solving a problem-based clinical scenario, which mirrors the critical thinking and collaboration skills taught to medical students.
“Role modeling is critical for any young person,” said Associate Dean Lee Buenconsejo-Lum. “Just having the ability to say, ‘Wow, that person could be me someday.’”
The event was inspired by Honowai teacher Malia Ignacio, and her mentor at JABSOM, Crystal Costa. Ignacio worked with Costa in the dean’s office while obtaining her master’s in education from UH Mānoa.
“I went to public school too and growing up, I never really thought about what I wanted to be when I grew up so I think that us, exposing the kids to healthcare now and saying, ‘Hey this is an option for you’ is something to think about,” said Ignacio, who graduated from Moanalua High School.
Connecting classroom lessons
Ignacio noticed her students’ excitement, particularly during a workshop on fractions.
“To hear them say, ‘Oh my gosh, I know how to do this,’ and connect it to the medical field was amazing. Maybe we’ll see some future doctors and nurses from this group,” she added.
Twelve-year-old Sophia Tolentino expressed her newfound interest in healthcare. “I might do this because I liked learning about health and medical stuff,” she said.
While JABSOM often hosts high school students for similar tours, exposing students earlier can have an impact.
“We’ve had students who first came to us as middle schoolers and are now in residency programs,” said Buenconsejo-Lum. About one-third of JABSOM’s first-year MD class participated in the school’s pathway programs during their youth.
Students of any age interested in working in the healthcare industry can join AHEC’s Pre-Health Career Corps Program for workshops and hands-on activities to explore and understand what it takes to become a healthcare professional.
