41 students from 10 local high schools explored careers in health care during a Mini Medical University program at South Bend-based Memorial Hospital.
The program offers a week-long learning experience for high school students ages 15 to 18 interested in health care. Admitted students are immersed in various professions. The curriculum includes lectures from clinicians in specialty areas and labs, along with exposure to clinical units and services within Memorial Hospital.
Guided by volunteer staff, including Mini Med alumni, students rotate through clinical departments including NICU, Radiology, Music Therapy, MedFlight Operations, Respiratory Therapy, Pharmacy, ICU, Emergency Department and Surgery.
Olivia Cooper, a Career Academy South Bend student, said the weeklong program affirmed their desire to work in health care.
“I didn’t know there was music therapy or so many jobs in radiology,” Cooper said in a press release. “Now, I have an open mind and new ideas about what I want to do.”
Students who successfully completed the Mini Medical University program are eligible to interview for a volunteer position at the hospital.
Memorial Hospital’s volunteer services department plans to offer the Mini Medical University program again in summer 2026.
