| 5th
graders visit hospital
The 5th grade students at Prairie Elementary were treated to a wonderful tour of St. Mary’s Hospital. The 5th graders have been studying the body systems in detail. They have learned the correct names of the skeleton bones and the cranial bones. They have studied in detail the skin, the ear, the eye and the heart. The tour at the hospital began with a session with Dr. Bruner. He discussed the anatomy of a bone, injuries that can occur, how a bone heals and why Vitamin D is so important to our bodies. A question and answer session had Dr. Bruner on his toes! The kids asked good questions and loved the detail in which he answered them. The students moved on to the lab where they discovered that blood has three colors. The machines were interesting and they learned how blood is drawn. The lab personnel explained they are like detectives trying to find out why people are sick, so they can help the doctors’ diagnosis of the patient. Surgery was the next stop. Pat Forsmann showed a video of an actual appendix being surgically removed. It was interesting to see how small the appendix really is and how they can cut and staple it at the same time. She also explained how she prepares the room for a surgery. Pictures of organs destroyed by smoking, tobacco, and drugs were on display for the students to look at. The tour of X-ray and the CT scan was fun. The kids wowed the X-ray techs with their knowledge of the bones. Some students got to lie on the CT table to see what it feels likes to have one done. Ultrasound was the next stop. They showed how the machine works and why gel is needed to help the machine read the organs. They were amazed when they saw the pulse running through an arm and learned that it runs by sound waves different than the X-ray machines. The class would like to thank all the departments for their time and the great information they received. This made everything they have learned in the classroom relevant to their everyday life. It also has opened their eyes to possible careers in the medical field. Thank you to Cheri Holthaus for setting up the tour schedule and taking pictures for us. This was a great field trip; we will never look at the St. Mary’s Hospital in the same way. 
A lab tech shows how they draw blood, demonstrating with Eve Uhlenkott. 
Surgery nurses showing how they prep a patient for surgery. Rachael Gimmeson is the 5th grader being hooked up. Photos provided by Colleen Sonnen. |
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