Pupils gain insight into high-tech health care

St Benet Biscop High School pupil Amy Andrews, 17, was among 200 students from North East schools who took part in a Health Alive taster-day at the University’s School of Health, Community and Education Studies, at Coach Lane Campus.

The sessions included interactive tours in the site’s simulated anaesthetic room, intensive care unit, operating theatre and demonstrations of child birth using computerised birthing models and simulation mannequins.

Amy, who wants to study health care science, said that she was impressed by the technology available at the School.

She said: “It was different to what I expected, it was very modern. I enjoyed the physiotherapy session.”

Senior lecturer Alan Platt demonstrated the intensive treatment unit to pupils using SimMan, a computer-controlled mannequin that looks and behaves as a human being, displaying symptoms as diverse as a stroke or a heart attack to asphyxiation.

He said: “The teenagers have been very interested in how everything works. They enjoy the fact that they are able to engage with all of the technology and offer suggestions as to how best to treat the patient based on the physical symptoms and monitor readings.”

Health Alive was launched by the School of Health, Community and Education Studies in 2008 and has received outstanding feedback. The sessions are open to North East school pupils with an interest in entering the health profession.

Schools attending this month’s Health Alive event included, Spennymoor School in Durham, King Edward VI School in Morpeth, Queen Elizabeth High School in Hexham, and St Benet Biscop High School in Northumberland.

Principal lecturer John Thompson said: “The feedback from students and their teachers is that they enjoyed the interactivity available in the centre. This year we received a lot of interest in midwifery and the Intensive Treatment Unit.

“Health Alive is an excellent opportunity for them to get a flavour of what a health related career and Northumbria University has to offer.”

Margaret Rowe, Associate Dean for Pre-registration Health at the School of Health, Community and Education Studies, said: “The success of Health Alive is due to us listening to local schools about what kind of information is useful to their students when choosing which career option to follow.

“At Northumbria we place the student experience at the heart of everything we do and the demonstration of our interactive teaching and outstanding facilities gives the pupils a realistic and stimulating experience of what studying to be a health professional is like. This, in turn, helps them to make well-informed choices about their career path.”