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High School Students Will Study Medicine in Mayo Clinic Facility

Posted on: Tuesday, 10 January 2006, 21:00 CST

By Edie Grossfield, Post-Bulletin, Rochester, Minn.

Jan. 10--Mayo Clinic will invest $1.3 million to help Rochester Public Schools expand its medical careers course, including relocating the course to a Mayo Clinic building.

The announcement of Mayo's investment came during a press conference this morning at Rochester Community and Technical College. RCTC has hosted the high school medical careers course since its inception in 2003.

The course for juniors and seniors introduces students to a wide variety of medical careers, from being a physician or nurse to a radiological technologist or emergency medical technician. Students learn anatomy and physiology, participate in hands-on activities with actual medical equipment and spend time assisting professionals in hospitals and nursing homes.

Mayo will provide 8,400 square feet of classroom and laboratory space for the course, although the clinic has not yet determined the location. The money pledged will cover the costs of renovation, maintenance, computer and classroom equipment and administrative support.

Ana Lise Pieper, a senior at Century High School and student in the medical careers course, said she is enjoying the class and wishes she would have had the chance to take it at a Mayo Clinic location.

"It would be great to be in that environment to give us more opportunities to be in real-life instances and situations," she said.

Mayo has contributed between $4,000 and $5,000 worth of medical equipment to the course each year, said Guy Finne, recruitment advisor in Mayo's human resources department. Mayo Clinic also has a representative on the advisory council for the course, as does RCTC.

Given the clinic's future human resources needs, investing in the medical careers course is one way to develop a well-trained pool of future employees, said Dr. Roger Harms, a Mayo obstetrician and gynecologist who is involved in planning the future of the course at the clinic.

"We know that we will be challenged in the future to replace our superb employee base as this demographic bubble works its way through our system," Harms said, referring to a large number of baby boomer employees reaching retirement age.

Currently, students in the medical careers course receive two credits toward high school graduation. RCTC will be discussing with the district the possibility of providing college credit as well, said RCTC President Don Supalla.

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Source: Post-Bulletin

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