Jump Visit Gives Students New Insights Into Medical Careers

You’ve heard the expression ‘You don’t know what you don’t know’ and that certainly applies to high school students who are considering career options, particularly in the rapidly changing health care field.

A select group of students from Wheeling High School recently visited the Jump Trading Simulation & Education Center in Peoria and quickly discovered there are a variety of jobs that, as Science Teacher Timothy Meyer put it, “don’t involve blood and guts.” About 40 students in Wheeling High School's Health Careers program and from a program called AVID, short for Advancement Via Individual Determination, spent part of a day in early January visiting stations in various Jump labs.

The areas replicate clinical spaces and show state-of-the-art medical devices and technology used to treat patients and solve health care challenges. Students involved in the AVID program face the challenge of being the first in their family to pursue college and some are from low-income families so clarifying their career pursuit early can be especially helpful according Meyer.

“This could be a life-changing event. Some kids could either decide ‘Yes this makes me want to go into the medical field’ or ‘Maybe it’s not for me’ but either way, it’s helping them make a decision and the key here is what public education is providing is helping them make that decision without having to pay money. "The students saw life-like manikins that breathe and generate other vital signs that can be monitored. Student Maks Ivanyshyn said the interaction confirmed he really wants to be involved in hands-on care.

Exploration Offers New Insights

Freshman Amy Valdez, who thought she wanted to be a radiologist, enjoyed mixing molds for 3D manufacturing that highlighted Advanced Imaging and Modeling (AIM) to create prototypes of devices for better diagnoses, surgical planning, education, and outcomes.

“Mixing Part A and Part B, I feel like that was super interesting because once again, you never expect engineering to be part of it and to like actually see the process of it and how that field has something to do with it, that was something that I would like to look more into,” she shared after the visit.

Students also spent time in the Anatomical Skills Lab at Jump. Meyer said some of his career students have had exposure to medical settings and experiences but the visit to Jump was a unique.

“So we were looking at fresh pig lungs and our students quite possibly won’t ever see that unless they go into medical school or they are coming to a medical facility like this where they are seeing that hands on,” he said.

Another moment that inspired some exuberant reactions came from seeing Virtual Reality used for hands-on care, including preparing for surgery. Meyer said the demonstration of medical visualization helped students imagine the future of medicine.

“How the body is anatomically set up versus how it physiologically works and seeing those connections,Virtual Reality I think is the future in helping us understand that and this is the first Virtual Reality experience our students have had so I think that’s very cool.”

It appears the mission of the trip was accomplished, even if a brutal January storm forced an early-than-planned departure back to Wheeling, a suburb located 23 miles northwest of downtown Chicago.

It is satisfying for key leaders at Jump, such as John Vozenilek, VP and Chief Medical Officer for Simulation, to offer an experience that gives such specific career insights. “When we work with young students we are looking to inspire them to consider careers in health care, medicine, nursing, and also biomedical engineering. What better way to create inspiration than to give each student a personal experience with these careers in a totally safe environment?” he said.

The experience was provided with the support of a donor from Chicago-based Jump Trading in connection with A Bigger World Foundation, a non-profit that supports teachers and schools that encourage students to dream bigger, with the notion that every student deserves a chance to explore their world of possibilities.

Jump offers a variety of immersive learning opportunities for youth in middle school and high school. Here is a list of upcoming scheduled events.To schedule an event, contact events@jumpsimulation.org or call 309-677-0810.