By Lydia Williams, Daily Memphian
Dr. Derek Kelley shows a group of White Station High School students how to work a bone saw during an Orthopaedic Exploration Day at The Coronet. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
Most high school students would normally be sitting in class on a Friday morning, but Alex Knowles, a sophomore at Germantown High School, was experimenting with hand drills and bone saws.
“It was exhilarating,” Knowles said. “Being able to see and do the procedure … it was really exciting.”
Knowles was one of about 100 students from across Memphis-Shelby County Schools who were invited to attend Orthopaedic Exploration Day, hosted by the Campbell Clinic Foundation, on Friday, Nov. 7, at The Coronet event space on Shelby Oaks Drive.
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Dr. Bill Milhalko gives a demonstration to a group of MSCS students during an Orthopaedic Exploration Day at the Coronet. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
Dr. Bill Milhalko gives a demonstration to a group of MSCS students during an Orthopaedic Exploration Day at the Coronet. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
“There are not many places that offer the ability to work with sawbones, which are model bones, to cut bones and fix them with plates and screws and have such a hands-on experience for students,” said Dr. David Richardson, a Campbell Clinic orthopedic surgeon who specializes in foot and ankle surgery.
Students from Germantown, Cordova and White Station high schools rotated through different stations manned by physical therapists, staff doctors, residents, and medical school students. Medical technology companies such as Smith & Nephew, and Skeletal Dynamics also had a presence at the event.
“Honestly, I wish I had something like this as a kid,” said Danielle Bryant, a fourth-year medical student at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, who volunteered to help kids learn about diagnosing an injury and stabilizing broken bones.
The students at the event have already expressed interest in a career related to the medical field. Friday, they got to ask questions and see what everyday tasks they could be doing in the future.
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Dr. David Richardson gives a demonstration to a group of MSCS students Friday at The Coronet. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
Dr. David Richardson gives a demonstration to a group of MSCS students Friday at The Coronet. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
“Through this event, they get resources where, even when they leave high school to go to college, they can reach back and say, ‘Hey, I need to contact them to see what steps I need to take,’” said Aubra Givens, a health science instructor at Germantown High School.
Morgan Woods, a senior at the school, enjoyed visiting the hands-on stations and learning about how ultrasounds are not just used for monitoring pregnancies.
“I think it’s just like an eye opener for different pathways you can go after graduating college,” Woods said.
Campbell Clinic’s Richardson said that they hope to open the event up to more schools in the future.
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“They do a great job,” Richardson said. “They’re advocates for their students, and I just want to say thank you to them.”
Richardson also hopes that they can showcase more subspecialties, such as trauma doctors or plastic surgeons.
“Showing students how we facilitate patient care by working together in a broader sense would be great,” said Richardson.
Dr. Carlos Riveria demonstrates how to use an ultrasound machine to a group of MSCS students during an Orthopaedic Exploration Day. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)