Palo Verde junior Kyle Clark, right, 16, listens to the heart of a patient as he shadows respiratory therapist Ali Khodabaksh as part of the MountainView Hospital explorer program.
Friday, March 6, 2009 | 12:32 p.m.
Kyle Clark held the stethoscope to the woman's chest and heard a heart beat for the first time through the device.
The 16-year-old Clark couldn't find the words to explain what it sounded like, but said the experience was "cool."
While he hasn't yet finished his junior year at Palo Verde High School, Clark is preparing for life after college by studying the medical profession through the Medical Explorers at MountainView Hospital.
The program gives teens experience, sometimes hands-on, in a variety of medical disciplines to show them available career fields or decide that it's not the right calling for them.
Clark hasn't committed to studying medicine in college, but the Explorers has been such a great experience that he is leaning that way.
"I was on the edge when I started this program, but then I think this program has reaffirmed my choice," he said.
Medical Explorers is a Specialty Career Exploring Post, part of the Learning for Life Division, which is a subsidiary of the Boy Scouts of America.
The MountainView program follows the nine-month school calendar and allows Explorers to shadow doctors twice a month in many areas of the hospital and view actual procedures and treatments.
Professionals in various health fields give presentations once a week at the hospital and the students visited the coroner's office to learn about autopsies, but did not witness one.
Space in the program is limited, said Explorer Adviser Dena Dzierbicki, director of Volunteer Services. The current 22 Explorers were selected from 50 students who attended the orientation meeting.
She said she expects the students to be dedicated to the program because of how many are interested but can't participate.
"These are your leadership kids, not couch potatoes," Dzierbicki said.
Other than anatomy or biology classes in high school, for many it's their first foray into the medical field.
The students sometimes are exposed to the ins and outs of the human body so the work is not always pretty.
Jeanette Flory, 18 and a senior at Durango High School, witnessed a birth, which convinced her to look for a career elsewhere in medicine.
"It's definitely an experience I'll never forget," she said. "I definitely won't do that."
Flory said she's accident-prone so she's always visiting hospitals as a patient. She joined the Explorers to see what the other side is like.
"It's kind of cool to know what they're actually doing. The next time I'm in the hospital, I'll know what's going on," she said.
The doctors, nurses and staff also share their backgrounds and provide insight into the lifestyle. In most fields, they can forget having consistent, normal hours or a social life.
"It's nice to learn the truth," said Wesley Nilsson, 17 and a senior at Durango. "They tell us... how much we're going to be in debt. It's quite a shocker."
Undaunted, Flory and Nilsson said they plan to study pre-med at UNR.
Nilsson always has known he wanted to be a doctor. He hasn't committed to a specific field but said he believes he's headed in the right direction thanks to the Explorers.
"It's pretty cool knowing what you're going into before you go into it," he said.
Jeff Pope can be reached at 990-2688 or [email protected].
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