UCSD - University of California - San Diego

10/18/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/18/2024 12:21

BONE Academy Encourages Students to Pursue Careers in Orthopedics

Published Date

October 18, 2024

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Walking around Morse High School on a recent afternoon, there was an almost alarming number of students with splints on their arms. No need to worry though, there was not a rash of injuries, rather the elastic bandage-wrapped arms were badges of honor to represent the students' participation in BONE Academy.

Building Orthopedic Networks for Everyone is the official moniker for BONE Academy which was dreamed up last year by Brendon Mitchell, M.D. While completing his residency training at the UC San Diego Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Mitchell and his wife, who is a middle school teacher, had talked about ways to bridge the gap between their two passions - outreach and education. After coming up with an initial concept, Mitchell began to share his idea with others in the department and ultimately received not only enthusiastic support, but also resources and a group of willing volunteers to make it happen.

"Despite years of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, orthopedic surgery remains one of the least diverse specialties across the country," said Mitchell, who is now completing a fellowship at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and returned to San Diego last month to attend the second annual BONE Academy at Morse High School.

Francis Gonzales, M.D., clinical professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, introduced the students to the field of orthopedics.

BONE Academy's mission is simple<_w3a_sdt id="-885796278" sdttag="goog_rdk_2">; it strives to introduce students from underrepresented communities to the various career pathways in orthopedic surgery, empowering the students to imagine themselves as part of the health care team - whether as a surgeon, technician, nurse, physician assistant, administrative or business professional, therapist, researcher or scientist.

From Mitchell's perspective, the lack of diversity within the orthopedic health care team perpetuates a cycle of inequity and diminishes the quality of care provided to the local community. Two of the biggest barriers to diversifying the orthopedic health care team are a lack of early exposure and inadequate relationship building with local communities. Mitchell feels that this program addresses both of these barriers and can be easily replicated throughout the country.

When determining where to pilot BONE Academy in 2023, the team looked at the California Healthy Places Index, which is a tool developed to explore community conditions that impact life expectancy by tracking things that encompass wellness, such as education, access to medical care and shelter. The schools chosen to pilot BONE Academy - Morse and Lincoln High Schools have lower percentiles scores on the Healthy Places Index, which correlates to greater barriers and inequities when compared to other communities in the region.

"These communities are full of incredible people who are living with a lack of resources," said Mitchell. "Our whole premise for BONE Academy is relationship building. If we can spark interest in the orthopedic field when students are in high school, maybe we can build relationships to keep them engaged until they can actually enter the workforce."

Students at Morse High School learned how orthopedic surgeons use drills and other tools to repair fractured bones at the BONE Academy workshop.

At the most recent workshop more than 150 students and 22 volunteers from UC San Diego School of Medicine, UC San Diego Health, and Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego participated in BONE Academy.

For Jeff Pacis, teacher at Morse High School for more than 20 years, the workshop represents a unique opportunity for the students to meet and network with working professionals.

"In my class we do some of these same activities," said Pacis, who teaches the anatomy and physiology classes, along with biology. "The big difference is getting to meet these professionals who do this every day. Just getting to talk to these professionals and learn from them is a great opportunity for the students."

Upon introducing the event, Francis Gonzales, M.D., clinical professor in the Department of Orthop<_w3a_sdt id="-761295819" sdttag="goog_rdk_13">aedic Surgery, encouraged the students to ask questions. He explained the three things the students would learn.

"Today, you will learn how to put a bone back together and cast (splint) it," he told the students. "You will learn how to put stitches in, and you will learn how to put rods/screws in bones. Yes, we use some of the same tools that you can find in your garage. Ours are a little more precise, but they are basically the same. And you will learn how to use them today."

As the students rotated through the three stations, they asked questions and got to know the volunteers who were guiding the activities. They also learned about ultrasound as a non-invasive tool to diagnose injuries.

"We really want to get these kids interested in orthopedics," said Eric Hentzen, M.D., Ph.D., clinical professor in the Department of Orthop<_w3a_sdt id="656428470" sdttag="goog_rdk_14">aedic Surgery, who volunteered at the splinting and fractures station. "This seems like a great way to start that interest. The goal is to expose the students and hopefully get them interested in something. It doesn't necessarily need to be orthopedics or even medicine -any field where they can help people. Maybe we can spark their interest in research or science by just being here and talking to them."

"Just getting to talk to these professionals and learn from them is a great opportunity for the students." Jeff Pacis, teacher at Morse High School

The students were eager to learn and try their hand at the various skills presented. For Moein Taheri, a senior in the anatomy and physiology class, the experience strengthened his resolve to apply to UC San Diego this fall.

"I want to go to UC San Diego for biology and then apply to medical school," said Taheri. "Ever since I was little, I was always helping to heal my animals. As I got older, I wanted to become a doctor to help people."

Taheri, who as a freshman attended another School of Medicine outreach event, Doc-4-A-Day, has appreciated the volunteers who have made an effort to connect with him and his classmates.

"After attending Doc-4-A-Day, I was really excited for (BONE Academy)," he said. "My favorite part of the day has been suturing. I want to go into cardiology. I can see myself in the operating room performing surgery and using these skills to help people."

These seemingly simple interactions are meant to be building blocks for what Mitchell and the rest of the volunteers hope will become long-term relationships.

Morse High School Principal, Cynthia Larkin, Ed.D., noted the importance of community partnerships to encourage her students to create goals.

"It's so important for our students to have these types of hands-on experiences and to feel supported and seen by the community," said Larkin. "Sometimes our students don't see themselves in these types of career fields or positions like this. This experience gives them a boost and reminds the students that they matter."

Morse High School senior, Moein Taheri practices his suturing skills.
Students learned about and practiced using ultrasound as a part of BONE Academy.

After the workshop, BONE Academy volunteers provide the students with what they call a bio-booklet. The document contains an orthopedic health care team career map of sorts. It includes the wide range of careers that make up an orthopedic health care team. For each job title, the booklet includes an overview of the position, the education and/or experience requirements for the position and a contact name and email address if the students have questions or want more information on the specific career field.

"The bio-booklet is the first step to providing a long-term mentorship pathway for the students," said Mitchell. "If a student gets excited or shows interest about any career in orthopedic health care, we can connect them with someone who is working in that area."

BONE Academy's focus on connecting and forging partnerships is the one thing that Principal Larkin was most enthusiastic about. She recounted when Monica Labiano, financial analyst for the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, first reached out about the possibility of bringing BONE Academy to the school, she was onboard immediately.

"Having direct access to talk to these professionals," she said. "This is what learning is all about!"

More information about BONE Academy can be found on the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery's website, or by emailing [email protected].

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