FHSP-Sponsored Trip to the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine

Last week, 5 of our pre-health students visited the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine's main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. The trip was sponsored by our Future Health Science Professionals student organization and was largely coordinated by the organization's Vice President, Cade Nathan.

SD Mines students (left to right: Mariana Meza, Alex Reader, Isabel MacLachlan, Cade Nathan, & Austin Tennyson) pose in front of a shiny statue in downtown Charlotte, North Carolina.

Our adventure began on Saturday, February 22nd, when we flew from Rapid City to Charlotte, North Carolina, where we stayed the night in a nearby hotel. The next morning, we picked up our rental car and explored downtown Charlotte for a little while. We visited a couple of shops and ate at a yummy barbecue joint before starting our 3-hour journey to Blacksburg, Virginia. That night, we discovered a tasty Mediterranean restaurant and shared some hummus, baba ganoush, and baklava in addition to our equally delicious individual meals.

Each of us was given a packet of information
and some fun VCOM swag at breakfast.

Bright and early Monday morning, we arrived at the campus and picked up our visitor badges. The admissions staff served us a breakfast of bagels, fruit, and quiche and gave us a brief orientation to who they were and what medical school looks like on their campus. Two of their current students joined us for breakfast and shared with us their experiences as part of the VCOM program. Both of these students were also in the Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP), which offers prospective military physicians a paid medical education in exchange for service as a commissioned medical department officer. This was particularly exciting for a couple of the students on the trip who are considering applying for this program in the future.

After breakfast, the VCOM students took us on a tour of the main buildings to see where students take classes, study, recharge, and learn how to practice medicine. We saw the library, complete with a separate quiet space for studying, a couple of exercise bikes equipped with tables so that students can study while getting in some cardio, an open area for eating while you study, and a series of group study rooms, some of which had their own tables for practicing osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM), which is one of the tools that osteopathic physicians use to treat their patients.

Students tour the various study areas on the VCOM campus.

We were able to enter the cadaver lab to see how students get first-hand exposure to learning about the anatomy of the human body. Unlike some cadaver labs, this one was on an upper story floor, which featured a wall of windows to let in sunlight while students examine the bodies of their donors. Each table holding a donor body was equipped with its own ventilation and drainage system, so the smell of preservative was less potent than typical cadaver labs. Our students were allowed to hold one of the donor brains (wearing gloves, of course!) as the VCOM students explained some of the key features of our brains and what those pieces do to keep us moving, thinking, and learning in life.

Students attend a real medical school lecture during their trip to VCOM.

Next, we walked over to one of the classrooms, where an embryology lecture was about to start. The topic of conversation for the day was about the pharyngeal arches and what happens to them in a developing fetus. The instructor also described some of the medical anomalies that can occur with different phases of early development go awry. While much of this content was at a higher level than anything a typical pre-health student has ever experienced, it gave our students a sense of the kinds of topics that are covered in medical school and the expectations for students in medical programs. They were also able to chat with a few more medical students before and after the lecture about live at VCOM.

Our students ask the VCOM students about their experiences.

Lunch was served in a conference room with a large table where we met two other VCOM students who were further into their program of studies. One was a non-traditional student who was able to talk about what it is like to be married and start a family while in medical school, the other student did her undergraduate work at SDSU right here in South Dakota, so she was able to talk about the cultural differences of moving from the midwest to the east coast. Both students shared their experiences and insights while answering all of our students' burning questions. They also demonstrated one of the many OMM techniques and talked to us about how OMM can help patients manage a variety of common health issues.

Students watching an OMM demonstration.

Finally, we were taken to the Simulation Center, where we met two of the VCOM faculty members who tech medical skills. They spoke to us about the various competencies that they help medical students develop in hands-on labs and through simulated scenarios that are built into the curriculum. The center features lab spaces for learning basic techniques, such as how to do a proper lumbar puncture, mock exam rooms for practicing physical examination skills with "standardized patients" (actors paid to pretend to be patients with specific conditions), and simulation rooms with robotic patients for running training scenarios. The rooms all feature cameras for recording what students are doing so that they can review their performance and critique one another to improve their skills in critical thinking/assessment, bedside manner, and technical know-how. The center features simulation mannequins of different ages who can present with a wide range of potential clinical issues. They even have a maternity room with two mothers who can "give birth" and infants who can be programmed to have various common newborn conditions. We learned about the "baby rocket" that pushes the infant doll out of the mother during birth simulations to teach medical students about labor and delivery.

Students learn about how simulations are integral parts of the medical curriculum at VCOM.

Students learn about the "baby rocket" used to teach medical students at VCOM about labor and delivery.

For dinner that night, we went to downtown Blacksburg and saw some of the cute shops and restaurants that filled the historic buildings along well-maintained brick streets. We ate at a fish taco place that had been recommended to us by one of the guys to talked to us at the simulation center. It was a great way to wrap up a wonderful visit to the area.

The next morning, we checked out of our hotel and drove back to Charlotte to catch our flight home. As we traveled back to the middle of the country, students reflected on their experiences over the past few days and discussed plans for their futures in medicine. Two of the students even set up meetings with me to talk about the pre-med pathway and to put together their personal timeline while we were waiting in the airport. All in all, it was a fantastic trip that allowed our students to further explore their understanding of what it takes to get into and thrive in a medical program. It left the students feeling excited for what the future holds and contemplating the possibilities of what the next chapters of their lives are going to hold. I, for one, can't wait to read them in the coming years.

SD Mines students (left to right: Cade Nathan, Austin Tennyson, Isabel MacLachlan, Alex Reader, & Mariana Meza)
visit the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine's Virginia Campus in Blacksburg.