Do you have a student who loves math and science? Have they ever thought about or shown an interest in healthcare? It can be challenging for students to know what they want to do, understand available options within a field, and experience what specific careers may be like in the real world!
These challenges are why Medical Explorers was created in 2018! Dr. Morgan Dresvyannikov is a family medicine physician who grew up in Shawnee, KS, and went on to attend the UMKC 6-Year BA/MD program and completed her residency as chief resident in June of 2023. While she was in medical school she helped create a simulation interest group for medical students and ultimately realized the gap of available healthcare opportunities for middle and high school students. Using her medical simulation background, Dr. Morgan developed Medical Explorers which includes over 30 different hands-on workshops for students that not only improve healthcare literacy but also teach critical practical skills. The goal was to create the program she wished she would've had in middle or high school.
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There are so many steps to enter the healthcare world- and Medical Explorers has been described by many students as the best "first step". After having been taught to over 750 students in the Liberty, DeSoto, and Kansas City areas, it is clear that MedEx can help students catapult their careers! Not only do students have the opportunity to learn skills that aren't typically taught until entering professional school, but they also have the extremely rare opportunity to come back and help teach the program the next year. This helps solidify their knowledge, but more importantly, gives them healthcare leadership experience which can help set them apart when applying for professional school.
There have been countless stories of students telling us how they used the skills they learned in Medical Explorers to help others! Just a few examples include students using their Epi-pen training to help a friend having a severe allergic reaction, completing neurologic exams on the basketball court after a likely concussion, helping get an injured person out of the woods safely with a dislocated knee by making a make-shift gurney, and helping know how to wrap or sling a bad ankle/shoulder sprain.
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CPR Basics, Epi-Pen Training, Vitals, Wilderness Medicine, Sleep Hygiene, Nutrition, Suturing, Stroke Basics, Seizure Basics, Trauma Basics, and Medical Mythbusters are just a few workshops offered. Students also learn over 300 medical terms and get exposure to over 20 healthcare careers. However, the most valuable parts of MedEx are not just the knowledge, exposure, and leadership experience - it is the passionate team at MedEx that finds the most joy in helping students along their journey! This means that once you are a MedEx student, you have the opportunity for mentorship and guidance for the next steps, how to get shadowing experience, possible research opportunities, and even down the line- recommendation letters!
We could not be more excited to be offering the Medical Explorers Summer Camp this year for the students who have an interest in healthcare and want to join us for a medical conference-style "boot camp" where they will learn a semester's worth of material in one week!
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MedEx Summer Camp was specifically designed for students who may be interested in healthcare and want to learn practical skills, by providing hands on healthcare experiences for 7th-12th graders! Sign-ups are available but filling up fast at https://medical-explorers.mykajabi.com/summer-camp! Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions to morgandresvyannikov@gmail.com or 913-832-0380.
