Last month 12 members of the Medicina Scholars program at the University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC) spent a day at our college’s Medical District Veterinary Clinic, getting a taste of a different pathway in medicine.
“At the start of the event, we asked them who has an interest in pursuing veterinary medicine,” says Dr. Amanda Hampton, one of the veterinarians at the clinic who also has an appointment on the community outreach team. No one raised their hand.
Nevertheless, post-event survey results showed that 100% of participants would recommend this suture wet lab to other students. “We first offered this wet lab to students in the Medicina Scholars program last year and also got unanimous endorsement,” Dr. Hampton says.
The Medicina Scholars program introduces UIC undergraduate students to various health professions, with an emphasis on careers requiring graduate studies.
A-peel-ing Experience
The July event began with a conversation featuring Dr. Hampton and Dr. Angélica Calderón, another veterinarian at the clinic. The students learned about veterinary career pathways and what it is like to be a small animal veterinarian.
After lunch, the students engaged in a suture wet lab. They learned about the importance of gathering patient history and signalment, how to appropriately handle tissue, wound healing concepts, and various types of suture and suture patterns.
The hands-on portion involved practicing suture patterns on bananas.
The event wrapped up with a clinic tour. “All the students said this was their first time behind the scenes at a veterinary clinic,” notes Dr. Hampton.
On the survey, the majority of respondents “strongly agreed” that the event taught them practical skills applicable to their future careers and more than half indicated the experience made them more interested in a veterinary career.
The community outreach team at Medical District Veterinary Clinic, led by Dr. Ana Valbuena, is part of the Office of Community Engagement and Inclusion at the College of Veterinary Medicine.
