28-03-2025
Medical Academy students gain hands-on experience at Ascension Sacred Heart Bay
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – When Dr. John Wade retired from medicine 12 years ago, he wanted to create a program for students to learn about healthcare. That's when the Medical Academy at Mosley High School was born.
'They do human biology, human anatomy. And then we do internships where they rotate into clinics and hospitals. They meet doctors, they do procedures. We have premium morning where they meet every morning at 7:00 and they have to do dissection,' Mosley High School Pre-Med Director Dr. John Wade said.
But Dr. Wade says this is more than just teaching medicine; it's about building future leaders.
JCSO arrests suspect after shots fired from vehicle near Grand Ridge
'Not only have we become really proficient in medicine and anatomy and health care, but also in leading groups of people and being empathetic about our leadership and helping engage others,' Mosley High School Senior Chase Peterson said.
50 of his students visited Ascension Sacred Heart Bay Friday. They toured the cath lab, where they saw doctors inserting catheters into a heart attack patient. They saw doctors reading and using x-rays in radiology.
Students learn how to perform CPR at the Regional Educational Lab, and they saw how they treat trauma patients in the emergency room.
'It was really cool. Just like seeing in person, like, you know, all the stuff you just see on TV and like seeing it in real life,' Mosley High School Senior Yva Toole said.
The in-person experience helps students decide if a career in medicine is in their future, and it helps Ascension connect with future employees.
'They are truly our workforce, they're our future. They're the ones that 10 years from now will be staffing the hospital as a nurse, x-ray tech, cardiovascular tech, surgical tech, and even on a path to medical school. So it's so important that we invest in them and their future,' Ascension Sacred Heart Bay President & CEO Robin Godwin said.
Panama City Beach's 7th annual UNwineD event offers food and fun
'I've already saw two of our students are already working in the hospital who was in our program,' Wade said.
The Medical Academy has grown from the original 10 students to more than 150 today.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
