creighton university

Creighton University’s “Mini Med School” ​inspires Young Students to Consider Healthcare ‌Careers

OMAHA,‍ Neb. – Creighton University‌ is working to cultivate the next generation of healthcare professionals through its annual⁣ “mini medical school” program, aiming to address⁤ critical needs within the medical field. The program recently hosted an event for ‍4th ​grade⁢ students, offering hands-on experiences designed to spark an early interest in science and medicine.

Students like Madison Woodberry and winnie Spurlock from Cottonwood‍ Elementary School participated in activities such as extracting DNA from ‍strawberries – a “goopy” and “gross” but ​ultimately fun experiment, according to Woodberry.

“It is important to expose them‌ early because many ​times they ⁢do not get⁣ this exposure ⁤until they get later on in school,” explained Creighton Senior Associate Dean Dr. Ronn Johnson. “Until that time it’s almost too late for them to get into⁣ the kind of ‌things they need ​to​ be doing early on in their educational ⁢experiences.”

The event wasn’t‍ limited to lab work; students also explored anatomical models and engaged with healthcare professionals. Dr. Johnson ⁢highlighted⁣ the program’s focus on ‍reaching underrepresented communities, stating, “We have two diffrent⁣ populations ‍that we serve, we have the urban population and the ⁤rural‍ population. Those are typically underrepresented ⁣communities that actually need to have more ​doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals⁤ involved in providing services.”

Now ‌in its‍ fifth year, the “mini med school” program has already proven impactful.Audrey Zahng,⁣ a second-year Creighton medical student, credits a similar event from her childhood with igniting ​her passion for medicine. ​”It definitely led to that spark that drove me to pursue and got​ me interested in medicine,” she said.

The program is already inspiring the current cohort⁢ of⁣ students. Madison Woodberry shared her motivation, citing her mother, a nurse, ​as an inspiration: ⁣”How she can just help all of these people that are in need…And how you can⁣ get all these⁤ people to be⁤ unsick and it just feels ⁣good to be helping.”​ Winnie Spurlock expressed ⁣a growing interest in the science behind medicine, saying, “I have always⁢ been interested in the science⁤ of medicine, and I feel like‌ its just really fascinating the way it works.”

More‍ than 60 students from the ‍Omaha metro⁤ area participated in⁣ the recent event. Creighton University plans‍ to host two additional “mini med school”‌ sessions this year, targeting middle and high school students. The university currently⁣ serves approximately 250 students annually through seven one-day sessions ​and aims to increase that number to 1,000 students per ⁤year.