Sep 26, 2016 By Suzanne Elliott 3 min read

Kelly Bergman and Brian Kasper, seniors at Peters Township High School, hope to one day have careers in medicine.

Bergman, 18, is interested in obstetrics, and Kasper, also 18, would like to become a veterinarian.

“I have three cats and a dog,” Kasper said.

As students of the high school’s Medical Mentoring Program, the pair are well on their way to possible careers in medicine.

The Medical Mentoring Program began in 2007 as the Student Athletic Training Program, geared toward students who wanted to go into athletic training or physical therapy, said school anatomy and physiology teacher Betsy Gunther, who started the program.

In 2008, the program was offically designated as a credited class and expanded to include all parameters of the the medical profession. In all, Gunther said around 250 kids have gone through the program, some of whom are now in medical school.

“The kids have been my motivation for doing this,” Gunther said.

But it is not easy to get into the program. Gunther limits the class, which is held twice a year, to a total of 30 students. Each semester, about 100 students apply for the 15 open slots. The students, who have to write an essay about why they want to be in the class, are selected by Gunther and school administrators.

“It is a chance for them to see what it is like in the real world,” Gunther said.

To be eligible, they must have passed biology and anatomy and physiology classes with at least a B. They must also show a proficiency in performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation, operating an automated external defibrillator and keeping a cool head in emergency situations.

In addition, Gunther trains the students in the legal implications of Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act laws, patient confidentiality and Ocupational Safety and Health Administration regulations. The students are required to sign a confidentiality contract, which, if breached, results in class failure.

Gunter said she tries to place students in a manner that is compatible with their interests. Medical mentoring students have worked in veternarian clinics, with nurses and in rehabilitation centers and hospitals, where they have gotten to see such things as live births and open-heart surgeries. A student cannot be placed with a relative or family friend, she said.

Each student is required to keep a journal, spend 70 hours where they are placed and keep a time sheet. But because it is a total immersion program, Gunther said she likes to teach the students the basics such as how to dress properly for a work environment, interview skills, and the importance of a handshake and eye contact.

One of her students, a 17-year-old male, wanted to be an obstetrician. She placed him with Washington Hospital, and he had the opportunity to witness 16 births.

“He is now in medical school,” she said.

Students also get to dissect cadavers at California University of Pennsylvania, as well as deer and cow hearts, Gunther said.

“Some do go on to be doctors, but they also learn that it is not like Grey’s Anatomy.”