Students receive hands on medical experience

PROGRESO - A handful of Progreso High School students hope hands-on experience they received at a medical conference earlier this month will serve them well on their journeys to become health care professionals.

The five students were selected to participate in the MedEd program sponsored the University of Texas Health Science Center located in San Antonio. Part of the program included participation in the Medical Health Science Expo on Nov. 1 held in San Antonio.

With the help of the Progreso administration, Cynthia Cameron, Cesia Netro, Alejandra Ramirez, Perl Santillan and Eduardo Cavazos had hands-on experience and participated in multiple medical conferences to prepare for possible careers in the medical field.

During the conference, students learned suturing and spinal puncturing techniques, as well as how to draw blood. The students also participated in MedEd's regional health fair on Nov. 23 at the McAllen Convention Center.

The students studied, designed a health pamphlet and distributed the information on hyperlipidemia, an elevation of fats in the bloodstream, which cause high cholesterol.

"They were asking us questions, and we felt like we knew everything," Ramirez said.

Ramirez said she and her four other classmates were honored to be selected to attend both conferences
"As soon as we got there, we looked professional," she said.

The five Progreso students have been invited to attend another fair in the in the spring to continue their educations.

"All the opportunities we could get (is valuable) because it taught us how to do techniques," Cavazos said. "Next time I go, I'll look at more careers. Maybe I'll be interested in more fields."

Cavazos said he's interested in attending University of Texas at Austin to pursue a degree in radiology, while Ramirez said she is still undecided.

"Right now, it's the early years, but when we get out of high school, we'll know exactly what to do," she said.