Nurturing a Passion for Medical Careers

Posted by Jimmie | 0 comments

Does your family have a budding nurse, a therapist in waiting, or a wanna be surgeon? We all know that children have a different answer almost every month to the “what do you want to be when you grow up” question. But if that passion for medicine seems to be long lasting, you may want to encourage it.

Besides providing a stable and lucrative profession for your child, medicine is a wonderful avenue for ministering to people all over the world, especially in countries where missionaries are not welcome but medical needs are great.

Here are ways to be deliberate about fostering an interest in medical professions.

Living Books

• The Occupational Outlook Handbook is a huge resource about all careers, including medical ones. Let your child browse through it and discover that there are many more medical careers besides the obvious choices of nurse or doctor.
• Biographies of famous nurses, doctors, and scientists not only teach history but also show children the dedication and hard work that is necessary to break into a medical job. One that we greatly enjoyed was Gifted Hands, the story of pediatric neurosurgeon Ben Carson.

Real Life Experiences

Take advantage of hospital stays and visits as well as doctor’s appointments to ask questions and learn more about medicine. It was my daughter’s one week hospital stay during a bout of bronchitis that solidified her desire to be a nurse. She watched what the nurses did and engaged them in conversation about their jobs. At a more recent check up with the pediatrician, my daughter quizzed each nurse in the clinic about their favorite aspect of the job.

Lesson Plans and Curriculum

• Capitalize on your child’s interests by choosing anatomy and physiology as your science topic.
• For writing assignments, incorporate topics about medicine or medical careers.
• Another fascinating study is the history of medicine. Your child will learn a lot of science by tracing the misunderstandings and discoveries of medicine through the years.

Take Classes

Check to see if local hospitals offer the Medical Explorers program. This is an excellent way to get first hand information about medical careers. Or sign your child up for babysitting, first aid, CPR, life guard, and pet care classes given by the National Red Cross. These classes are usually offered at community centers for nominal fees. My daughter recently completed babysitting training where she learned both CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver along with child care and first aid basics.

Use Real Tools

Consider investing in your child’s passion for medicine by buying him a real stethoscope, blood pressure cuff, and microscope. Learning how to use and care for these grown up tools demonstrates your support for their interest and your belief in their abilities.

Volunteer

North American laws may restrict teens from much involvement in medical volunteering, but they may be able to assist a medical professional on an overseas missions trip where the restrictions are far more lax and the need so much greater.

Jimmie is a former public school teacher turned homeschooling stay-at-home-mom. A sense of humor, faith, and creativity keep her “pressing on” in her unique situation — living and traveling abroad with an only child in a bilingual environment. Visit her blog at Jimmie’s Collage.