Zoe Chamberlain Moskalenko '22

I graduated Oakwood in 2022 and am a pre-med student in college. I love kids and thought it would be fun to host a camp through Summer@Oakwood, with the goal to teach them about medicine as well as empower them to follow their dreams. Mini Medical School this year was for 3rd-5th graders and it ended up being the most incredible week with the most fun, intelligent group of kids. Each day was packed with different hands-on activities and a daily theme. 

Day one was all about different types of doctors. We learned the location and function of different organs, different medical tools, and different types of doctors. On day 2, Cardiopulmonary and Blood Day, we learned about why our heart rate has different speeds before and after movement, we learned how oxygen enters the blood through the lungs, how the heart sends blood throughout the body, why we need oxygen and how it gets converted to energy in our body, and the jobs of each component of blood. On Bone Day we learned about the parts of a bone and why they're strong yet lightweight, different types of joints, x-rays, and casting. Brain Day began with looking at brains of different animals, learning why the wrinkles of our brain allow for more neural connections and a compact size. We learned what neurons are and how they travel through the spinal cord and throughout the body to send messages. We learned about the different parts of the brain and their functions. Brain Day also included learning how to meditate to relax our brains, as well as talking about therapy as a source to support our brains. Friday was Surgery Day, which was highly-anticipated. Before scrubbing in, kids learned about different types of surgeons, different surgical needs, essential surgical and operating room terminology, as well as how and why we scrub in before performing surgery. We also talked about the importance of listening to our patients' needs and believing their pain. Each child signed their patient consent form, emphasizing the importance of consent between doctors and patients. After scrubbing in and donning their surgical apparel, the kids entered the OR and administered antibiotics, resected brain and heart tumors, sutured lacerations, repaired intestines, and fixed broken bones. They finished surgery by recording post-operative notes. 

Each day of camp was an absolute blast with these incredible kiddos, and we learned so much together through their many different questions and curiosities. A few highlights of the week included listening to our hearts and lungs with a stethoscope and getting to eat Poprocks, learning that sometimes unhealthy lungs can sound like Poprocks. Another highlight was getting to put plaster casts on pediatric patients (dolls), as well as working with pumping heart models and testing the impact of different pumping speeds and pressures. I loved answering the kids' questions in their notebooks each day. As a future surgeon, I was most excited for Surgery Day, and was overjoyed that the kids were all so interested in surgery. I was truly inspired by their curiosity, and capacity to learn and have fun.