By Therese Carpenter
On the 5th, the HMO (Health and Medical Occupations) program had a field study at Saddleback, where students learned about various routes they could take in the medical field. There were five rotations—nutrition, phlebotomy, OBGYN nursing, EMT, and MA’s—and students spent about 20 minutes at each station to get hands-on experience. Gwen Holman, an HMO student and junior, said that her favorite rotation was OBGYN nursing because they had a mannequin able to simulate birth, which she thought was really cool. The obstetrical mannequin could simulate a woman giving birth, with a baby coming out of the belly, breathing motions, and vital signs. Ayla Vettraino explained that she loved the phlebotomy rotation because she was able to draw blood and use the microtubes. Students practiced on simulated arms before moving to the EMT rotation, which featured mannequins requiring them to stop blood flow using dressings or a tourniquet; a fake gunshot wound with blood pouring out and a leg cut in half were two scenarios that stood out. In the nutrition rotation, there was a lengthy discussion about becoming a nutritionist and how specializing in eating disorders is not very common yet needed in the field. Another rotation included a handwashing lab, something the HMO program has done many times. To finish up the event, the entire HMO class that participated in the field study went to In-N-Out together. It was overall extremely fun, and Armand Mannani said, “It was honestly really fun and I can’t wait for our next field study.”