On an early Friday morning at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), several teenagers surround a male patient named Stan - a lifesize computerized mannequin - discussing family history of heart attack and differential diagnoses, and debating the value of conducting bypass surgery over angioplasty. It's the last thing you expect high school students to be doing. Yet, it's just a typical day in Julie Joyal Mowschenson's class.
In collaboration among Brookline High School, Harvard Medical School, and the BIDMC, the Health Careers course taught by Mowschenson, Ed.M.'08, aims to interest teenagers in the sciences by using hand-on learning with patient simulation. "This is not just a course for advanced placement students who want to be doctors - the content is for everyone," Mowschenson says, noting that the class' 24 students come from varying socioeconomic backgrounds and academic levels. "Today this course is particularly relevant as job opportunities in the next decade are going to be in health sciences." Mowschenson hopes that her students will not only learn science, but also develop a passion for it, and hopefully consider careers in the field.
An active volunteer in Brookline Public Schools and a nurse with over 25 years of experience, Mowschenson, 48, enrolled in the Ed School's Education Policy and Management Program on a quest to learn more about education policy. "I wanted to learn about polices that could help narrow the achievement gap and offer a better life for those most deserving," she says.
After graduation, Mowschenson was encouraged by her advisor Senior Lecturer Paul Reville, also Massachusetts Secretary of Education, to take a position at Harvard Medical School running the Harvard Premedical Institute, a program dedicated to getting inner city students excited about the sciences using patient simulation. Reville thought, says Mowschenson, that it would be an excellent bridge between her two careers: nursing and education. She agreed that a hands-on experiential approach was exactly the type of teaching and learning needed in the sciences, and, shortly after accepting the job, Mowschenson was asked to teach the Health Careers course at Brookline High School.
Since she had never been a classroom teacher, Mowschenson admits she was somewhat intimidated by the idea of teaching such a course. However, with the help of her colleague Elan Guterman, a Harvard Medical School volunteer, Mowschenson wrote the curriculum and learned the ins and outs of working with a patient simulator.
Students are captivated by the excitement of a fast-paced hospital environment. They quickly act as doctors prompting questions to Stan, the simulated patient that speaks, breaths, and has vital signs -- the same equipment that Harvard medical students practice on. The course also provides opportunities for the students to work together as a team, solve problems, think critically, and use communication skills necessary for job success. "These are qualities educators often finding lacking in their graduates," Mowschenson says.
The students' interest is evident in their attendance records -- none of the students has yet to miss a class at the hospital -- and in their weekly written reflections. In one paper, Hanna Pinsky, a 10th grade Brookline High School student, credited Mowschenson's class with changing her life and future. "Everyone needs someone to take care of them, and if practicing on a mannequin allows us to be prepared for the future, then I am so grateful for standing over the mannequin as 'Dr. Pinsky,'" she wrote.
Mowschenson hopes that her curriculum and course will set a precedent for health and science education in the country. Other hospitals in the Boston-area have already contacted Mowschenson about bringing the course to their local high schools and facilities. Additionally, she plans to use the methodology she learned at the Ed School to expand her course into a future research project tracking student outcomes. "I think I have found my niche," she says.
She is force. I was teary the first time I listened to her at BHS 21 C Fund meeting.
I respect Julie deeply. I am honored to be a colleague.
kudos to Julie
Julie is amazing. Her interactionss with the BHS students, her knowledge and experience in the medical field, together with her passion and endless energy, make her a natural for this class. BHS is lucky to have her on board.
This program is very exciting. Having worked with inner city students with motivational problems I understand the need for exposure to a world they usually never experience. This is truely the way to excite, and, potentially save the lives of countless disenfranchised students. Bravo julie!!
Julie is tremendous. How she finds time to do everything she does, I don't know. But on top of that to teach this class. What a gift to the kids to get such a "real world" insight with a teacher who has been in the trenches of healthcare for years!
I know Julie has always been an intuitive teacher. Her energy contagious. Her will stubbornly good. Her ability to share inexhaustive. Her determination, watch out if you are on her radar. These kids are so fortunate and I know they will know this. I know part of Julies' dreams is to give hope to children who didn't know they had it in them, as she once didn't know she had it in her.
Julie...I am so happy for her...I loved always hearing from her during class because she had experience in a different field...I love how she is merging ed with her content knowledge...her students will be affected for life...She must be happy we had Reville!!! He always did give us real advice that was genuine...
Hi Amour....what a wonderful thing to read from you! I was so touched out of all of the comments written...I hope you are finding satisfying work too! Thank you.....all the best Julie
ps Paul will love this comment!
Julie is the bee's knees. Or the cat's pajamas. Either way she rocks.
This course is amazing and I am so proud of Julie! This really is an new and important way to engage high school students in content. Thank you for this wonderful work, Julie my friend!
The power and significance of this "hand's on" experience taken to and taught within an actual hospital setting, is brilliant. Add to this, the energy, enthusiasm and warmth of a great teacher like Julie Joyal Mowschenson--and, the magic of learning happens.
Julie's work not only engages and excites students with the possibilites of a career in science but also encourages them to understand the importance of taking care of themselves and those around them. What greater gift could she bestow upon them?
Ms Joyal has been a perfect teacher in more ways than one. She imparted her wealth of knowledge to us, her students. I enjoyed taking this class very much, and I would encourage others to take this class too. This class has taught me a lot, and I really appreciate the teaching in class, as well as the trips to the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. This has been a life-changing experience. Thank you Ms Joyal for being the best teacher ever.
To put it simply, Ms.Joyal is AMAZING! She is so knowledgeable and intelligent about everything there is to know about the medical field. For a first time teacher, she taught better than most teachers who have been teaching for years! As a student, I could tell that she LOVES what she does and has passion for helping people. I learned a TREMENDOUS amount in this course and recommend this class to any new-comers. All this new knowledge will benefit me in my medical career and I will never forget what an awesome teacher Ms. Joyal was. Thank-you Ms. Joyal,
-Kayla C.