St. Thomas More School Students Get Real-World Glimpse of What it's Like to Work in Health Care

SALISBURY TWP., Pa. - From lungs and kidneys to cadavers, robotic surgery, and viruses, more than 50 seventh-grade students at St. Thomas More School in Salisbury Township got to experience what a day in the life of a nurse, virologist, surgeon or other health care workers is like.

"We have six stations. One station is a heart station, where kids have the chance to learn about how a heart works," said Dr. Martin Martino with the Institute for Surgical Excellence.

"I learned a lot of things, how the lungs expand and contract," said student Ryan Friel.

The program is all about inspiring kids and letting them get hands-on practical experience in the field.

"Really cool experience. It was really fun and interactive. A great way to learn what happens in hospitals and during surgery," said student Riley Landis.

The school partners with dozens of health care workers and places like the Da Vinci Center and Institute of Surgical Excellence to give students this unique opportunity.

"The robotic surgery. I've never seen anything like it really. It's pretty much like a video game in surgery. It's amazing," Friel said.

"I really liked the nurse perspective of it. The nurse was saying she could do post-op, operation, she could do all these really cool things," Landis said.

Perhaps, inspiring the future generation has never been so important. According to the U.S. Labor Department, six out of 10 of the fastest-growing occupations are related to health care.