Hillsboro Medical Center Residents Go Back to School to Mentor the Next Generation

Family medicine residents Ally Bray, M.D. and Lisa Huynh, D.O. show local high school students how to use a butterfly probe portable ultrasound.

Not every high school student can use a portable ultrasound machine to identify blocked arteries or apply a thumb spica splint in a pinch.

But thanks to a mentorship program started by residents of Hillsboro Medical Center’s Family Medicine Residency Program, all of Hillsboro High School’s Sports Medicine students have learned these valuable skills.

“A big part of medicine is being lifelong learners, and that’s not just learning ourselves, but teaching others and giving back to the community,” says Marissa Bruno, M.D., a second-year resident at Hillsboro Medical Center.

Bruno helped introduce this mentorship program—where residents design lesson plans and teach interactive classes to students three times throughout the academic year—to show students what a career in healthcare can look like.

Jessica Osborn, M.D., first-year family medicine resident, shows students how to apply a splint.

“Talking to younger residents who are at the beginning of their career can be really fruitful for younger people,” notes Bruno. “Providing that direct pathway—’I am here, and you can talk to me’—is so beneficial.”

That’s why one classroom session is reserved as a Q & A, so the students can ask about the residents’ day-to-day roles and receive guidance on pursuing careers in the medical field.

“I enjoyed being able to ask questions about what their educational journey was like to better prepare myself as someone who is about to move onto college,” explains one high school senior in the program. “It makes my future seem a little less daunting.”

Along with this practical advice, the residents provide students with hands-on learning opportunities focused on specific subjects, such as ultrasound technology or splinting.

Recently, the residents showed the students how to scan hearts using a portable ultrasound and how to apply four different types of splints.

“These opportunities and experiences could be the inspirational moments that fuels and drives them [students] to pursue a career in healthcare,” explains Kori Sakamoto, Exercise & Health Science Teacher at Hillsboro High School.

“That’s the ‘aha moment’ I like to see the students have,” says Bruno. “If I can do it, you can too.”

The residents look forward to continuing this enriching mentorship program next year, hopefully inspiring many more “aha moments” for students.