By Ed Karvoski Jr., Contributing Writer
Shrewsbury – Budding medical interns are getting younger now that a fun and educational program has opened in the area. The first six-week course of Little Medical School for ages 5 to 12 was recently offered in Shrewsbury. Enrollment is now under way for different class subjects for another six-week course. Concurrently, Little Veterinarian School will be introduced for children ages 5 to 9.
According to its website, “Little Medical School brings medicine, science and the importance of health to children in an entertaining, exciting and fun way. Our educational enrichment programs provide a fun, innovative, and engaging curriculum. We create an opportunity to experience role playing using tools that real doctors use.”
Overseeing the local Little Medical School is Arumugham Raghunathan. He’s observing the students’ enthusiasm, beginning with the first class when they discover what’s in a doctor’s bag.
“They get a working stethoscope and listen to a heart for the first time,” he noted. “They also get a reflex hammer and see their buddies’ knees pop as they tap them. In the first class we also have a ceremony when we give them a white coat and name label. They’re happy to get their white coat.”
In that course, students also learned about the heart, digestion, lungs and surgery. Raghunathan believes that their most valuable lesson in this and future courses is an increased comfort level with doctors.
“They learn to not be afraid of going to a doctor because they’ve played with the instruments and know why each is used,” he said. “Maybe they’ll want to become a doctor. This triggers them to start thinking in that direction.”
Among class topics of the upcoming six-week Little Medical School are identifying first-aid kit items, building a brain model, studying the spine’s function, and learning how pharmacists dispense prescriptions. Another class description lightheartedly states, “Students will gain an understanding of what gas is and why we burp.”
“Kids love gross stuff, so that will be fun,” Raghunathan said with a laugh. “They learn why people belch and how to produce that sound.”
For young animal lovers, Little Veterinarian School will teach children how to care for pets. Class subjects include immunizations, lacerations and ticks. Raghunathan expects this six-week course will also be fun for students from the beginning when they “adopt a dog.”
“They get a stuffed dog toy, they name it, and get an adoption certificate,” he explained. “Then in the next class, they get a cookie cutter in the shape of a dog bone and recipes how to make dog treats.”
Each course culminates with a graduation ceremony. Family and friends are invited to see the graduates receive a diploma.
Also, on Thursday, Dec. 29, at 6.30 p.m., at the Shrewsbury Public Library, Little Medical School will present a free introductory class: Digesting Digestion.
“We teach the digestion system with hand’s-on activities,” Raghunathan said. “Each kid is assigned to play a body part. They learn the whole process of digestion and understand what each part does. I tell them, ‘Now, when your parents ask you to chew your food, you’ll know exactly why.’”
Raghunathan feels that he’s having as much fun teaching as the children are learning.
“Even when I go to a party, I talk with the kids more than the grownups,” he shared. “Kids’ imaginations are amazing; they’re curious. I like that feeling when I see them learning with a bright smile on their face.”
The children’s medical and veterinarian courses are each scheduled Mondays from Jan. 9 through Feb. 13, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., at the India Society of Worcester, 152 W. Main St., in Shrewsbury. To register or for more information, contact [email protected] or 774-275-8288, or visit www.littlemedicalschool.com/boston.
