Avon High School senior starts up new school club: Future Scholars of Medicine

Deb Weaver and Marissa Ptacek

Avon High School teacher and student create Future Scholars of Medicine club. From left: teacher Deb Weaver and student Marissa Ptacek.

AVON, Ohio -- So you want to be a doctor? Or a nurse? Maybe, maybe not. But there are plenty of other careers available in today’s hospitals and other medical facilities, according to Marissa Ptacek.

Marissa is a senior at Avon High School who wants all high school students to have the opportunity to learn about and perhaps choose one of the many pathways to a rewarding medical career.

The high school’s new club, Future Scholars of Medicine, is under the guidance and supervision of anatomy and physiology teacher Deb Weaver. She helped Marissa submit a request to form the club. They were granted approval to officially recognize a new school organization.

"About 150 students signed up by email that they were interested,” said Weaver, “and 78 showed up for the first meeting.”

Each meeting features some type of medical equipment for hands-on experiences and practice of medical techniques, such as drawing blood from a synthetic arm, taking blood pressures and preparing microscope slides with students’ own cheek cells.

There are also meetings with medical professionals who come to answer advance questions submitted by the students.

Marissa was originally inspired to form the club after she attended a medical camp for nine days at Northwestern University, as well as an internship. She found it online, and her family combined birthday and Christmas gifts to pay her way to the tune of $2,000.

“The most important thing I learned was about listening to the patient," she said. "We can make the biggest difference by having empathy for patients, seeing things from their point of view on what might be the worst day of their life.”

Marissa is fashioning the new club in a format similar to her camp experience, with medical equipment and discussions about medical issues.

The Future Scholars of Medicine club meets the second and fourth Thursday of each month at the high school, usually at 3:30 p.m. A hospital visit is planned for the November meeting.

Statistics that Weaver and Marissa cite seem to prove the broad scope of possibilities within the medical field: According to information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of healthcare occupations is projected to grow 14 percent by 2028, much faster than the average for all occupations, adding about 1.9 million new jobs. Healthcare occupations are projected to add more jobs than any of the other occupational groups. This projected growth is mainly due to an aging population, leading to greater demand for healthcare services.

Marissa stated her view on the value of the club.

“Ever since I was young, I have wanted to be a surgeon. The internship and camp I participated in really solidified my interests. However, most of the people around me don’t have the same experiences and they may have no idea what they want to do.

“The unpredictable nature of the future can bring a lot of unnecessary stress. There is a certain comfort in having a better idea of what you want to do, or at least major in, before you get to college," she said.

“The Future Scholars of Medicine club gives students the chance to confirm or reject their interests, leading them towards a more suitable, potential career path. The club also gives students the chance to meet other people who share the same goals and interests.

“As a high school senior, I know how stressful it can be to think about college and the next big step in life. That is why I think the combination of knowing what you want to do and having others who can share the process with you is where there is value in the FSM club.”

For those interested in the club, Weaver or Marissa can be contacted through the Avon High School main office.

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