Adventurers learn through recent visit at the hospital
Posted on Wednesday, October 8, 2008
GENTRY ó Children are always asking questions: ì Do people die here ? î ì How fast does your heart beat ? î ì What happens when your heart stops beating ? î ì How much medicine do you have here ? î
On the last day of September, 20 Adventurers got some answers at Siloam Springs Memorial Hospital. The Adventurers, who are part of Ozark Adventist Elementary School at Gentry, toured SSMH to learn about the hospital and to help them earn their first-aid honors.
The tour kicked off with the childrenís visit to the emergency room. One Adventurer was selected to be a patient, helping demonstrate some common procedures, and everyone gathered around his bedside to see what it might be like to be a patient in the emergency room. Some children confessed they had been to the ER before and watched as the patientís heart rate was monitored.
After getting answers to some serious questions, ì Do people die here ?, î and some lighthearted ones, ì What would happen if this light fell down ? î the children moved on to the obstetrics department. The Adventurers gathered around the nursery windows and observed two newborns as the babies slept.
Next, it was on to the pharmacy. The Adventurers learned that SSMH has its own pharmacy and several children asked questions. One boy wanted to know how much medicine the hospital had. Pharmacist Joel Green said the hospital had 500 to 600 varieties of medicine. ì How much money do you make ? î another boy asked. While Green wouldnít disclose that information, he said he went to school for a long time to become a pharmacist ó about seven years.
In cardiac rehabilitation, the Adventurers were ready to try out the exercise equipment and get their heart rates going. Director Blake Raybon explained about cardiac rehabilitation and answered questions such as ì How fast does your heart beat ? î and ì What happens when your heart stops beating ? î Raybon also told the children many people come to exercise at SSMH every day.
The Adventurers rounded out their tour with a stop at the cafeteria for an after-tour snack of Animal Crackers and juice from SSMH nutrition services. The children chattered around their snacks and asked questions such as ì Who decides what the patients eat ? î
The children learned that SSMH has two dietitians on staff, Ellen Jones and Becky House, who study each patientís chart to determine what can be included in a patientís meal.
After their snack, the Adventurers were off to the local park to spend the rest of their afternoon exercising and staying healthy.
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