Oak Forest HS Human Anatomy Class Takes a Field Trip

“I thought it was amazing,” Oak Forest High School Senior Benita Joseph said. “My favorite part was holding the brain which they had already removed [from the cadaver].” Joseph was talking about the annual Honors Human Anatomy class trip to the Futures in Science and Healthcare Anatomy Program at National University of Health Sciences in Lombard, Illinois. According to Human Anatomy teacher Sue Magrames, “The purpose of the FISH anatomy program is to educate students about alternative health careers and to allow them a unique experience in the area of anatomy.”

The students were introduced to the facilities and personnel available to the students pursuing their academic education at NUHS. A current NUHS student presented a PowerPoint that introduced the students to the alternative healthcare career programs that are available at NUHS. “The school was really interesting,” Joseph, who plans to go into the medical field, said. “They showed different sectors of medicine like chiropractic, MD’s, DO’s, and acupuncturists. They are a small school.” Joseph thought that might be a benefit since there would be a lot of individualized attention.

The NUHS student then gave the students an overview of the anatomy of a pre-dissected human cadaver and invited the students to observe the cadaver at the body level. “I also liked holding the knee replacement which was super cool. It was kinda neat to see how the implant fit with the plastic,” Joseph said. The trip made her “interested in the human body. I got to touch a spleen, lungs, tissue, and I wasn’t grossed out about anything.”