Aspiring medics from Brooke Weston Academy had valuable hands-on experience in a simulated operating theatre where they learned about medical careers, terminology and anatomy and dissected organs including brains, hearts, kidneys and livers.
The day-long session, at Kettering Science Academy, simulated the equipment and procedures in a real-life operating theatre. The students calculated anaesthetic dosages, learned about the anatomy of major organs and carried out practicals, including dissecting tissue specimens.
Brooke Weston Academy teacher Tara Kimberley said: ‘The students learned about different types of careers and there has been a bit of problem solving as well. On successful completion of the course booklet they will get a certificate which will be useful for UCAS applications.’
Abbey-Leigh Hopkins, from Year 11 said: ‘I thought about being a midwife, but also thought that if I looked into surgery I might like it. So far it’s been brilliant, I am loving it. I am finding out lots about biology and anatomy and am really looking forward to the practicals, taking out the organs, manipulating them and seeing the parts that you learn about in lessons up close. I have been working with other Brooke Weston students and also some from Corby Technical School, so we have been working together as a team, it has been good.’
Facilitator, Sam Piri from Operating Theatre Live, said: ‘We run a number of different concepts aimed at getting students inspired to think about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) subjects. The Government has just announced another 1,500 places and five new medical schools so it is really important that we enthuse the next generation of healthcare professionals. Operating Theatre Live is about making science hands-on, engaging and linking the academic side with the practicals.
‘We are looking at the brain and spinal cord, the eye and some of the cranial nerves, the lungs, trachea and diaphragm and intubation, a medical procedure. We will also be looking at the heart and doing pathology dissections, prepping the specimen into different cross sections. In the final part of the day students will be looking at the gastro intestinal tract including the oesophagus, stomach and small and large intestines. It is a lot to cover in one day but our strategies are tried and tested combinations of lectures and practicals. There’s a great mix of students and they are all engaged, following instructions and answering questions.’
Karen Hearne, the Trust Director of Science said: ‘This was an excellent opportunity for students from Brooke Weston Academy, Corby Technical School and Kettering Science Academy to work together and gain hands on experience of the structure and function of the organs in the body. All the content is relevant to the exam requirements so the students are consolidating the knowledge learnt in class, giving more confidence and understanding of key ideas.’