Pete DuBois is a satellite teacher for Polaris Career Center teaching at North Olmsted High School in North Olmsted, Ohio.
One of my PLTW Biomedical Science students wrote the following reflection about a real-world career-exploration opportunity she experienced:
With the career goals of entering the medical industry as an OB-GYN, one day last spring I decided that I wanted to shadow a doctor in my chosen field. I coordinated with my teacher, Mr. DuBois, to schedule a time to spend an 11-hour work day under the wing of an OB-GYN on a labor and delivery day.
I rode down with a local nurse and she led me to my floor. From 7 a.m. until 6 p.m., I watched eight babies come into the world. My day was great!
First, we met in a room with several other doctors and interns to discuss patient statuses and do rounds. From room to room, there were many different pregnancies including post-delivery, scheduled C-sections, and twins! After our meeting and until about noon, we just checked in with our patients, and at 12:30 p.m., I viewed and assisted the first childbirth of the day.
A little later, I saw my first C-section in the operating room. It was fascinating because it wasn’t what you’d expect to see. It wasn’t like the eighth grade health videos show – it was a completely new procedure to me. Little did I know my doctor was going to let me in the room five feet away from the surgery, dressed head to toe in scrubs and masks, to get a better look at what it is that she does!
As for the rest of the day, I witnessed twins being born and more C-section deliveries. The eight babies all came into the world healthy on that day.
As a junior in high school at the time, I was amazed by what I was given the chance to do by the PLTW Biomedical Science program. I will never forget this day, as it was not only a great learning experience, but it also reinforced my career plans to go into the medical field. I would love to one day be able to help expecting families in the hospital on the day their baby arrives. I truly recommend taking full advantage of every opportunity because you never know how much it can change you until you experience it!
PLTW’s blog is intended to serve as a forum for ideas and perspectives from across our network. The opinions expressed are those of each guest author.
