Page 19 - Delaware Medical Journal - January/February 2019

C A ES DE URCEAPTOI OR NT
every detail of the office, from the charts on the walls to the x-rays on the computer. I had a few minutes to ask Dr. Axe questions about his education and practice, and made sure to take notes in my trusty notepad. Now it was time to shadow my first patient!
The day went much faster than I expected. I was amazed at how much care and attention Dr. Axe gave each and every patient in the short amount of time he had with them.
He introduced me to every patient, and I stood to the side, observing intently. It was fascinating to see the whole process, from chart to post-appointment notes. Every person in the office contributed, from the nurses checking on patients and preparing shots, to the PA seeing patients or informing them about upcoming surgeries.
I was also able to observe the social environment of the office. This team has worked together for years and it was interesting to see how they interacted.
I really felt involved. They would ask me questions about my school and different programs I was in, and they shared about their lives and paths to medicine.
By the end of the day, I felt like I had developed and learned a routine with each
appointment. We would go over the chart, Dr. Axe would examine the patient and provide them with any care they needed, then Dr. Axe did his notes and we would talk until the next patient was ready. I was learning more and more with each patient visit. We saw a variety of conditions, from arthritis, to joint replacements, to surgical repairs. By the end of the day, I could even recognize arthritis from an x-ray!
After seeing many patients, my shadowing came to a close. I took a photo with Dr. Axe and said goodbye to the office staff.
I wished I had had more time, but I knew that this was just the beginning. This day gave me more inspiration to pursue the career that fascinates me. I left there with one thought: “That was it, that’s what I want to do!” I am extremely grateful that
I had this experience through Apollo: Youth in Medicine, and cannot wait to shadow again.
John Kepley is a junior at Saint Elizabeth High School. John is a member of the Delaware Youth Leadership Network, the Student Leadership Group, and the National Honor Society.
Chase Dunlap, a student at Saint Elizabeth High School, shared his feedback about the Apollo Experience:
“Throughout my time as a high school student, I have always been extremely I could always attend a seminar or look up some information online to become more knowledgeable about the daily life of a medical professional, there weren’t any opportunities for me to actually connect with someone in the medical Youth in Medicine program though, as it gave several students throughout the state of Delaware, including myself, the opportunity to shadow a medical doctor
for a day. My shadow experience was extremely informative, and the connection I was able to make with the doctor I shadowed was a great one!”
The involvement of school counselors
in the Apollo program has been instrumental in gathering feedback
to further improve the program. Ryan Mitchell, Director of College Guidance at Newark Charter School (NCS), shared his thoughts about Apollo:
“Genuine medical shadowing opportunities are often hard to come by without personal/ familial or otherwise network-related connections, and Apollo is smartly designed to remove barriers and help students
begin to envision their futures; the effects are lasting. There are countless potential future medical professionals in Delaware who would become further committed to a health career if given the opportunity, and NCS students have reported to us that their experiences were eye-opening, enriching, surprising, and educational in unique ways. Students have made further connections beyond those organized by Apollo (as
a result of the initial connection), were graciously invited to additional medical conferences, and are now thinking about
to legitimately change the lives of youth participants, who in turn can help others live more healthy lives once they become medical professionals; you can’t argue with the mission, nor the results thus far!”
Apollo’s success depends on the physicians volunteering their time and support. One volunteer physician, Jeremie Axe, MD of First State Orthopaedics,
“The Apollo program is a wonderful access tool. When I was a high-schooler, I was fortunate to be able to shadow my father, an orthopaedic surgeon. This experience helped me to get where I
am today. Unfortunately, not everyone had the access to a family member in
provides a structured avenue to allow interested students the opportunity to be exposed to real-time medical care.”
THE NEXT STEPS
In January 2019, for its second session, Apollo expanded to 20 new students
from four additional high schools, using the same format as the pilot, with some addition, all students from the initial pilot session were given an opportunity to “give back” to the program by creating new educational resources for the next session
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