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Summer learning is fun! Just ask Aucilla Christian Academy senior, Nick Arceneaux!
Arceneaux recently participated in the Florida State University's Summer SSTRIDE Camp through FSU's College of Medicine.
During the first day of camp, Arceneaux started out by doing some team-building exercises with other individuals at the FSU reservation. “This is where we first learned everyone's names and little facts to get to know each other,” said Arceneaux. “We had our first lecture that night about the basics of taking and recording vital signs.”
On the second day, the team started the morning with a presentation about child obesity from one of the mentors, who is a second year medical student at FSU. After, they journeyed to Westminster Oaks to learn about the field of Geriatrics, and they were able to interact with some of the residents at the facility by watching the movie "Up" and playing a trivia game. That evening, the group showed off their moves with a Zumba class that took place in the courtyard of the medical school building and then started research for their presentations that would be presented to judges at the end of the week. Arceneaux's group presentation was about the widespread issue of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.
During the third day, the group focused on the simulation lab. “We were able to act as doctors and play out an office visit that included taking vital signs, listening to the patients symptoms and presenting our diagnosis,” said Arceneaux. “Later, we saw the 'Harveys,' which are computerized patients that have programmable vital signs. We learned how to listen for heart murmurs and what we can learn by listening to the different chambers of the heart.” The group also learned to identify what an irregular pulse, heart beat, and respirations sound like. That night, they had some fun and went bowling at the Union. It soon became a competition of guys vs. girls, and the guys won.
On the last day of SSTRIDE, the group had the opportunity to observe the many research labs on campus and what they did.
“I was able to use a machine to cut a bird brain in thin slices and observe the piece under a microscope to count the neurons in a small area,” said Arceneaux. “There were way too many to count, and that was only a small piece!”
The group also examined some of the cadavers at the med school.
“We were able to hold a brain and a lung as well as touch the muscular systems on the cadavers to see what ligaments and tendons did what and so on,” said Arceneaux. “After we toured the campus, some [of the students] jumped in the fountains.”
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“Dr.” Arceneaux checks his patient's vital signs during a simulation lab.