The students visited the Clinical Skills Center in the School of Nursing on the UT Health Science Center's Long Campus in San Antonio. Shown seeing a demonstraton of a simulation manikin are (left to right) Annette Garza, Georgette Rodriguez, Federico Monsivais, faculty member Laura Ecuyer, RN, Ignacio R. Alaniz III, Jaime Villagran and Anthony Ramos.
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By Rosanne Fohn, 210-567-3079

About 70 family members, friends, community partners and UT Health Science Center faculty members cheered as nine college students from the Laredo area received “Oscars” Aug. 20 at a red-carpet premiere showcasing videos they created as a class project for Make It Real Academy (MIRA).

The premiere was the closing ceremony for the eight-day UT Health Science Center San Antonio program conducted at the Regional Campus in Laredo to give students a close-up look at careers in the health professions.

Educational perspective
During the camp, the students visited the university’s San Antonio campuses for two days to learn about careers and academic programs in the School of Health Professions, including physician assistant studies, physical therapy, occupational therapy, respiratory care and emergency health sciences. They also learned about careers as a dental hygienist, physician, nurse and deaf education and hearing science specialist.

See the student videos: Group 1 Group 2 Group 3

Hospital rotations
Following the two-day trip to San Antonio, the students returned to Laredo for rotations with health professionals at Doctors Hospital in Laredo to see the health careers in action. They also learned about the effects of the environment on individual and community health through the Health Science Center’s South Texas Environmental Education and Research (STEER) program. In addition, students observed the collaboration of community partners working together to prevent and treat chronic disease through the Healthy Eating and Active Living (HEAL) program. Both STEER and HEAL are conducted at the Regional Campus in Laredo.

Collaborative effort
At the ceremony Aug. 20, Regional Campus Dean Gladys Keene, M.D., welcomed families, friends, faculty and community partners to the campus, and thanked the South Texas Outreach Foundation for its gift that provided funds for the program.

Araceli Duran, recruiter and health careers program coordinator for the School of Health Professions, thanked Doctors Hospital and Health Science Center faculty and staff members for their help in providing a realistic look at the health professions.

The students show off the “Oscars” they received by participating in Make It Real Academy. Shown are (left to right) Jacqueline Reyes, Nohely S. Escobedo, Anthony J. Ramos, Jaime A. Villagran, Georgette Rodriguez, Ignacio R. Alaniz, III; Mariela L. Aguilera, Annette Garza and Federico M. Monsivais.

As part of the program, each group of three students produced a video giving their thoughts and impressions of MIRA and the health professions. In their group’s video, three of the students expressed their appreciation for what they had learned.

Annette Garza, a senior at Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) in Laredo, said she had applied to MIRA to learn more about becoming a physician assistant. “I love the program. It’s very interesting,” she said. “I want to help patients get better and to get healthy. I like this program because we got to see all the different fields of medicine working together. It has helped me solidify my desire to become a physician assistant.”

Ignacio R. Alaniz III, a D.D. Hachar Scholar at TAMIU, said, “Make it Real Academy has enriched my education on the health care professions, confirming my decision to pursue and strive towards a career in cardiology.”

Anthony Ramos, another TAMIU biology student, thanked those who put on the MIRA program for “enhancing my perspectives on the health professions out there.” He is considering respiratory care as a possible career.

Other MIRA participants were Mariela L. Aguilar, Nohely S. Escobedo, Federico M. Monsivais, Jacqueline Reyes, Georgette Rodriguez and Jaime A. Villagran.