MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, Hawaii -- Marine Corps Base Hawaii hosted 27 students from various schools as part of the Science, Service, Medicine and Mentoring Program March 25.
For five days, students from three local high schools, one local college, and one mainland college were able to tour several military facilities on Oahu to learn about medicine and the military.
The program, also known as S2M2, generally runs for a week and teaches college and high school students about the medical profession in the military. At the same time, college students who participate in the program are considered mentors, and can offer advice about college to their younger counterparts.
“You get to actually experience what it feels like to be a medical student, but at the same time you get to experience it with a college student who’s kind of been through a similar process,” said sophomore Minhae Shim, Dartmouth College, located in Hanover, N.H. “But [both high school and college students] are also learning what it’s like to be in the professional field.”
While aboard MCB Hawaii, students visited medical facilities, met service members in the medical field and viewed several static displays - some related to medicine, others specifically to the military. There was no shortage of activity for the students, who were able to touch and carry special equipment, take a suturing lesson and learn how to monitor vital signs.
Students spent the morning touring the Marine Aircraft Group 24 Medical Aid Station, meeting several flight surgeons from MAG-24 and touring Hangars 102 and 104.
They also saw corpsman assault packs used by Naval hospital corpsmen and body armor used by many service members, as well as tour a CH-53D helicopter.
In the afternoon, they visited the optometry and aviation medicine departments at Kaneohe Bay Branch Health Clinic and the 21st Dental Company.
At the optometry department, students not only took a tour of the facility, they had their eyes examined, according to Cmdr. Victoria Wooden, chief diversity officer, Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, who accompanied them on the tour.
The students were especially enthusiastic about their tour of the base’s 21st Dental Company. There, various hospital corpsmen and a hygienist spoke to the students about topics ranging from studying dentistry to dental hygiene. A native of Severna Park, Md., Wooden said at first there was only one student in the group interested in a dental career. However, by the time the tour ended, she said more students became interested.
“They came out ranting and raving,” Wooden said. “They spent almost an hour at the Dental Clinic.”
Students learned several aspects of the dental process, including x-rays and tool sterilization, and were able to see examples of temporary partial dentures and porcelain crowns.
“They were very interested in the dental lab,” said Chief Petty Officer Lester Hiatt, hospital corpsman, 21st Dental Company, who gave the students an overview of the dental clinic. “They liked looking at the x-rays and seeing the digital views of the teeth and the jawbone and the sinuses.”
Jester Galiza, a sophmore at Dartmouth College, said S2M2 taught him to be receptive to other possible career choices within the medical field.
“I think that if you sort of determine a path and you stick to that path, you shut a lot of doors for yourself,” Galiza, a native of Ewa Beach, said. “This program has helped me see the different opportunities out there for me and has enabled me to really get a glimpse of the medical field workforce as a whole.”
Students not only learned about medicine and science, but about the military as well.
Clare Pidot of Kailua, a Kamehameha Schools senior who is considering a career as a trauma surgeon, said she enjoyed the S2M2 program.
“This program wouldn’t be possible without the help of the military,” Pidot said. “You get to see things and experience things that you will [otherwise] never get permission to, unless you’re in the military, and that’s really great.”
“[S2M2 helps] explore the possibilities and eliminate some of the myths of the military and most [importantly, displays] just how professional our forces are,” said Lt. Cmdr. Alaric Franzos, assistant group surgeon, MAG-24, and one of the surgeons present with the group as they toured Hangar 104.
“From the questions they asked they obviously had some insight and interest in developing a military medical career because they’re asking the tough questions now,” Franzos said.
At the end of the program, the students hosted their own community health fair at Chaminade University’s campus Thursday, presenting various medical topics they learned about throughout the week.
The S2M2 program was created in 2004 by Navy Capt. Cynthia Macri, vice president of the Office of Recruitment and Diversity at the Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Md.
Several schools around the nation have participated in the S2M2 program and more are requesting to participate, Macri said.
The S2M2 program is open to students ages 14 - 17 who are interested in the field of science and or medicine, and have completed a biology course in high school. College students may also be eligible to participate in the program as mentors. They do not have to major in a medical field in order to be in the program. Macri said they should, however, be interested in social justice - the overall intent of the program - a philosophy which encourages equal treatment among individuals, regardless of their educational background.
For more information about the program, visit http://www.usuhs.mil.