Investigating Cardiology

If you've been following the blog, you may know that Will attends a school that has all project-based group learning. The classes have been mixed ages, with his class for most of the year being a blend of third and fourth graders. There was one project that mixed third, fourth, and fifth graders, but this last PBL the third graders were in there own class. One of the 3rd/4th teachers has been out on bed-rest, and I think that the third and fourth graders had different enough TEKS (knowledge skills) that needed to be covered that it was easier for the other two teachers to divide them. Here is a part of the project set-up:

... the Leadership Team is asking each student to prepare a digital portfolio. This will be a culminating project, in which students will establish career goals and make plans to acquire the necessary post-secondary education.

Innovators will explore a variety of STEM career pathways and identify several occupations related to your strengths. Innovators will determine the level of education and training required for these occupations, as well as the cost to obtain the necessary degrees and certifications. The investigations will allow you to compare the responsibilities and salaries of each profession. Students will prepare financial plans and justify their career path and educational opportunities.

This was a fun project for me, too, because the teachers asked several of us with STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) careers to come talk to the kids. Will's teacher knew that Allen and I were engineers, and a friend of mine teaches the fifth and sixth graders, so Allen and I got to speak twice in one day. (FYI - the teachers all knew that I am not currently an engineer, but they wanted a woman in the STEM field to tell about her training and career.) The first presentation was for the older kids, and Allen and I were speaking with another engineer. With the three of us encouraging future engineers to not just focus on math and science, but to also work hard at writing and communicating, I think they might have gotten the message. The set up in the younger class was a bit different, and it was just Allen and me speaking to them that day.

Will's teacher had given us a heads-up about some of the questions, but she insisted we follow the know/need-to-know model. That is when the kids post sticky notes of everything they DO know and everything they NEED to know to complete a project. The goal is for the kids to seek the knowledge, rather than being spoon-fed information that goes in one ear and out the other. Many of the questions were expected and somewhat typical -- What did you want to be when you were growing up? Where did you go to college? Did you get scholarships? What degree do you need to be a chemical engineer? What does a chemical engineer do? ...But I was AMAZED by some of the questions that were directed at me: What was the hardest thing about being a female engineer? How did you decide when to quit engineering and do something different? Do you plan to return to engineering? How do you continue to use your education in what you do at home or with your family? Was there ever at a problem at Mr. Kaiser's refinery that you couldn't solve? (Mr. Smooooth jumped to answer that one with a confident, "Nope.") I had a really good time talking with the kids, and I always enjoy doing that type of thing with Allen. Some of the thank you notes we later received made it clear the kids were listening carefully to everything we said.

As for Will, he started out wanting to investigate being a chemical engineer. Though I don't think that is a bad choice, I encouraged him to learn more about other careers, too. The kids had several speakers each week for the first few weeks of their PBL, and eventually one caught his attention. A local cardiologist came and talked about his career, but then he also shared that he draws as a hobby. From what Will said, the doctor started drawing one of the students, and it was clear to everyone that the caricature was of Will. Maybe THAT is that part to caught his attention, but, nonetheless, he chose to go the cardiology route. Here is a bit of his write up:

When I grow up I want to be a cardiologist. To become a cardiologist, I need to go to college and medical school to get my degrees. To get into college I have to get good grades in high school, get a high score on the SAT, take Advanced Placement courses, and get involved in community events. I am considering a college degree in biology, but I will look at other options, too. To get into medical school I have to fulfill college course requirements, make good grades in college, take the MCAT test and get a high score, and also have a good college experience.

 

Career: Cardiology

College degree: First I will get a bachelor degree in biology in 4 years.

Medical school: Medical school lasts 4 years.

Residency: I will do an internal medicine residency for 3 years.

Fellowship: I will need to do a cardiology fellowship for about 3 years.

I will apply to undergraduate college programs at Texas Tech University, Louisiana State University, and Texas A & M University. All three of those colleges offer undergraduate biology programs, and they have medical schools.

I estimate that four years of undergrad school at Texas Tech would cost about $92,000 for tuition, fees, books, dorm room, and other expenses. Four years of medical school at Texas Tech will cost about $114,000. That totals around $206,000 for the eight years of school.

 

Now we know... :) I'm anxious to see which career he will investigate next year, as the project will be built upon year by y