From fifth grade to college, Health Professions Day educates

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Duval Elementary School fifth graders gathered in the Communicore Building auditorium on Wednesday afternoon, wearing name tags with a peculiar salutation for a fifth grader - Doctor.

Florida Blue Key kicked off their annual Health Professions’ Day event at the Communicore Building by hosting DuvalElementary School students in a Doctor for a Day portion.

Students moved in stations dealing with dentistry, nutrition, research, and pretended to be surgeons in a mock emergency room. Students were able to view human and cow organs used in research.

City Commissioner Randy Wells was in attendance and encourage students to stay in school. Wells told the students he never forgets one of his math teachers, who had an odd fascination with spiders.

Kelly Hawkins, the 2011 titleholder of the Miss University of Florida pageant, told students that although she enjoyed junk food, she hated how it made her feel afterwards. Hawkins encouraged students to eat healthy and exercise regularly.

Later in the evening, the event continued as an undergraduate pre-health educational seminar for University of Florida students planning to enter the health field.

Speakers provided advice on the admissions process and how to prepare for a profession in health, and represented the Colleges of Veterinary Medicine, Physicians' Assistants, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Nursing, and Medicine. 

Admissions offices provided a resumé workshop for prospective medical school students, and health-related organizations tabled at the event.

Local businesses were present at the event. An MCAT prep course provided by Examkrackers, two one-month-free memberships at StudyEdge and study sessions for popular courses for students on the pre-health track from Tutoring Zone were raffled off.