Are you an aspiring doctor?  This year, Bay Port has partnered with Aurora BayCare Hospital to implement a unique shadowing program for students.
    According to Aurora BayCare, it is difficult to find and retain doctors in Northeastern Wisconsin.  Through the new shadow program, they hope to encourage students to work as a medical professional and to attract future medical students to the Aurora BayCare facility.
    According to Guidance Counselor Julie Kruk, senior students were screened and chosen to consider this opportunity during first semester of this school year.     
    "The primary criterion we looked for was outstanding academic progress measured by grades, rigor of coursework, and career direction leading possibly to medical school," Kruk said.
    Bay Port High School was the only school chosen for this program, and the first students at Aurora BayCare pre-medical school experience were Caitlin Quinn, Austin Jiang, Matt Mazur, Sam Stevens, and Danielle Wacek.
    Each student involved in the program is given a rotation of four hours in length on three separate days.  The rotations vary and some of the assignments were in the pulmonary, radiology, emergency room, operating room, orthopedics, and pain management departments.
    Senior Caitlin Quinn was given the incredible opportunity to witness an open heart surgery through the shadow program.
    Quinn said, "I got to see the surgeons open up the patient’s chest, stop the heart, repair the entire aortic arch, and then restart the heart, all from about two feet way.  I got to stand on a stool for the entire five hour surgery, right behind the patient’s head with the anesthesiologist.  It was truly an experience that I will never forget."
    Senior Sam Stevens was able to shadow an orthopedic surgeon and witness follow-up appointments with patients, as well as view x-rays and MRI’s.                      
    "It was cool seeing exactly what the doctors did, what a typical workday is like, and how many different patients they go through.  None of the patients have the same problem, and the doctors really have to be thinking on their feet," Stevens said.
    Senior Austin Jiang, who was also involved in the program, said, "I would recommend this program to anyone because it’s a great experience and involves on the job training, which is something that you can’t learn in school."
    According to Julie Kruk, the biggest reason to participate in this program is to help rule in or rule out a medical career prior to high school graduation.
    Quinn said, "This was an opportunity for me to see if this is really what I want to do with my life, based on real experiences rather than what I have read in textbooks or seen on Grey’s Anatomy.  After this opportunity, my future goals of becoming a doctor and making a difference in the world have been validated."