NUMC hosts Calhoun High School Medical Club

The staff loves to welcome students.”

Meg Ryan, Interim president and chief executive officer Nassau University Medical Center

Earlier this month, high school students had the opportunity to visit the Nassau University Medical Center for an experience like no other. The hospital in East Meadow played host to the Sanford H. Calhoun High School Medical Club on March 5 and students got to take a tour of the hospital, meet members of the NUMC leadership team as well as doctors, and also got to view two surgeries that were in progress.

Meg Ryan, the interim president and chief executive officer at NUMC, told the Herald that the hospital has affiliations with colleges and medical programs on Long Island and Queens, who work with NUMC for teaching purposes. The hospital began working with high school students pre-coronavirus pandemic, she added.

“This is the first time though, that the viewing rooms for surgeries has been open to the public since Covid,” she said of the Medical Club’s visit.

Students who participate in Calhoun’s Medical Club engage in medical-related volunteer work, which includes fundraising for certain charities, as well volunteering at hospitals, such as NUMC’s pediatric ward.

The Medical Club is overseen by its advisor, Kristine Fico, and club officers Patrick Smith and Megan Bhansingh, both presidents; Hallie Klimov and Hailey Sofia, both vice presidents; and Luke Pierce and Jacob Graber, both treasurers.

“The staff loves to welcome students,” Ryan said. “They’re proud of the work they do, so they were excited. It was nice hosting them.”

NUMC has the only hyperbaric chamber on Long Island, which allows patients to breathe 100 percent, pure oxygen — and the students even got to go inside it.

The Medical Club’s officers, in a joint statement shared with the Herald by Fico, said they were thankful that NUMC was able to give the club such an amazing experience.

“It was a great opportunity for the members to observe how the hospital environment functions,” they said. “For our first year as club officers, we are very proud of the progress we have made in revamping the club and providing our members with information that will benefit them in future careers in the medical field.”

Fico also said the consensus from the club’s members positive.

“The trip was a very enjoyable and eye-opening experience for us,” club members wrote in a group statement. “We got insight into what doctors and medical staff do in the ER each day through the tour we took, as well as the surgery we observed.”

Ryan said high school tours of the facility are field trips during the school day, as surgeries take place during the morning. The hospital is always happy to connect with groups interested in volunteering or visiting the hospital. Those interested can contact publicaffairs@numc.edu for more.

“The staff at NUMC gave our Medical Club students an outstanding learning opportunity,” Fico said. “Their dedication to the medical field, helping and educating others was evident. This was a great experience, and we are so grateful for their kindness, patience and expertise.”