COSI Academy

Ashton Wimbish is a ninth grader enrolled in a special Saturday career exploration program called COSI Academy. Terri Gregoroff says the science museum exposes teenagers interested in science, technology, engineering, math and health careers to a taste of real-life jobs, with another Partner in Education, OhioHealth.

“We do hands-on activities, and we also bring in experts that focus on either careers in health and medicine or careers in engineering and technology," Terri Gregoroff of the COSI Academy said.

Ashton is one of a group of students getting a feel for what doctors and nurses do at OhioHealth Riverside Hospital Center for Medical Education Plus Innovation. 30 – 40 students, in 9^th through 12th grade, are visiting the high-tech lab of robotic patients where medical professionals update their skills and learn new ones.

“It’s the idea of exposing the students to healthcare and the type of teaching that we do here, and know that the teaching and learning is something that goes on through their entire lives," Phil Clark, OhioHealth Learning Business Consultant said.

Phil Clark says the students are introduced to guest speakers and hands-on activities, such as basic medical tools.

Then the kids get to work on both adult and infant robots as they rotate through several stations. They learn CPR…

“A lot of our technical trainers, the laparoscopy trainers, the robotic trainers, are all like video games, where they can get in there and use their hands and move in the hand-eye coordination," Clark said.

At the moment, Ashton wants to become a singer, but after a day at this training center, he’s now considering a backup career as an emergency medical technician.

 “I’d be saving lives. Plus it just seems like a good job," Wimbush said.

Clark looks at these students and has bigger dreams.

“And who knows? We may have the next, you know, the next doctor that finds the cure for cancer," Clark said.