Medical students also teachers
UH part of national program that partners with high schools across country
As a chemistry teacher at Sharpstown High School, Nabeel Ahmad noticed that some students were taken with the material, and some expressed wanting to work as health care professionals. He found himself adding to the lesson plans to meet their interests.
But there was only so much he could do.
“I needed someone who is wearing a white coat or a nurse, or someone who has this extra knowledge,” Ahmad said. “I had that thought in the back of my mind that my students lack that opportunity and access to these resources.”
He was working there as a Teach for America corps member when he started to see some of the inequities that played out in the public school system. Not only did the Sharpstown students not have access to certain programs, but he noticed that many were dealing with trauma and depression and didn’t have primary care doctors. So he decided to apply to medical school.
Now, he’s a third-year medical student at the University of Houston’s Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine, where he is part of the Health Career Collaborative, a national program that started in 2013 to support underserved high school students as they pursue post-secondary education, gain health literacy and consider health careers.
The program partners high schools and medical schools across the country. Its target population is underrepresented minority and low-income high school students. The organization partners with high schools that serve greater than 90 percent of that population.
Ahmad and his peers at the medical college pitched the idea of bringing the program to Jack Yates High School to both the college and the high school. They got the green light from both institutions, and in 2021 they held their first class.
What was once a lofty goal he had as a chemistry teacher was now a reality. He stood in front of an anatomy class at Yates in his white coat and
asked the class what they should do if they break a bone.
“Cry,” one of the students said, and stifled giggles rippled through the classroom. Ahmad smiled and told the student that was a likely outcome, then explained they would need to immobilize the injury until they could get medical attention. He showed the students how to create a sling with a splint and swathe. They split off into small groups to practice on each other.
Five other medical students also were in the classroom. They also gave presentations and led small group activities. Sierra Cowan, one of the other medical students helping to teach the class, instructed the students on how to identify the three types of fractures — traverse, oblique and comminuted — by showing them X-rays, which was also followed by a small group activity, led by the medical students.
“Learning and relationship building happens best in smaller groups” Ahmad said. “This is where they start to get to know their students.”
Cowan helped her small group identify different fractures on their own based on the lesson. Their group finished a little earlier, so they spent the remaining time chatting. One of the students told Cowan she might want to be a dermatologist, but she wasn't sure. She wanted to try a little bit of everything.
“You should think about family medicine then,” Cowan suggested.
Then another student chimed in.
“I want to be a psychiatric nurse,” said Baylee Smiley, a senior. “I like the rush of it.”
Smiley used to go into work with her mother, who is a psychiatric nurse at Ben Taub Hospital, and Smiley was fascinated with the work. Initially, her mother would take her along so she wouldn't be home alone, but then Smiley started to tag along because she wanted to be there.
The class isn't just worthwhile for people who want to work in health care, Smiley said.
“They teach us everything about the health system,” Smiley said. “Every lesson, we learn something new. They teach us about the body, infections and how to treat them. Even if you don't want to work in the health field, it's still worth learning.”