Occupational therapy student Amber Hatcher models a finger splint at the Health Professions Fair. More than 250 School of Health Professions faculty, staff and students volunteered for the morning event.
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From Antonian College Preparatory High School in San Antonio to Zapata High School on the Texas-Mexico border, more than 1,200 students from high schools and universities throughout South Texas converged on the UT Health Science Center San Antonio campus Nov. 1 to learn about the health professions.

The 2008 Health Professions Fair & Science Expo featured hands-on activities to help high school and undergraduate college students better understand the career choices available to them through the health professions.

Health Professions Fair featured in the morning
At the Health Professions Fair, students put on a “fat suit” to feel what it’s like to gain and lose weight (dietetics and nutrition), took turns strapping each other to a gurney to learn the proper way to load a patient into an ambulance (emergency medicine) and made casts of their thumbs to learn about the process used by dental laboratory technicians to make dental devices.

New Dietetics and Nutrition Program highlighted
The 11 programs available through the School of Health Professions include the new Dietetics and Nutrition Program to be offered in the fall of 2009 at the San Antonio and Laredo campuses. Other programs include clinical laboratory science, cytogenetics, deaf education, dental hygiene, dental laboratory sciences, emergency medicine, occupational therapy, physician assistant studies, physical therapy and respiratory care.

Afternoon sessions focused on medicine, dentistry, nursing and research
Students visited the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Campus for activities associated with the fields of medicine, dentistry, nursing and research. Among the many activities, students were invited to learn dental waxing skills; dissect sheep hearts, brains and eyes as they explored anatomy; attend student panel question-and-answer sessions; learn how to use sphygmomanometers, pyrometers and pulse dosimeters; and practice the art of suturing.

Youngsters learned about the opportunities in scientific research, medicine, dentistry, nursing and other health professions.

Event brings together faculty, staff and students
“This is a truly interactive event for high school and collegiate students, their parents and teachers,” said Irene Chapa, a Ph.D.-trained pharmacologist who heads the Office of Recruitment & Science Outreach. “It also is a wonderful day where the health science center family —faculty, staff and students from all of the five schools — come together for this effort to benefit the health professionals of tomorrow. It demystifies the health professions by allowing students opportunities to not only hear about our professional programs and meet professionals, but also to actually practice some of the professional skills in an educational, motivational, fun and exciting manner.”

Patricia Brewer, Ph.D., assistant dean for Student Affairs in the School of Health Professions, added, “This is the third year we have partnered with Dr. Chapa to put on this event. We appreciate the dedication of our wonderful faculty, staff and students who give of their time to engage these young people and help them to see all of the various opportunities available to them. And the best part is that we all have such fun doing it!”