Santa Rosa students excel in Biomedical Science program

Students at Santa Rosa Academy first practice the medical procedure on a flat surface and then on a pig's foot.

By Emily Hoos
Menifee 24/7 intern

At Santa Rosa Academy in Menifee, students are learning amazing things in one of the offered STEM electives, Biomedical Sciences.

Biomedical Sciences is one of the main electives taught on campus at Santa Rosa Academy. It teaches students various skills and worthwhile information though the Project Lead The Way program. Year three Biomedical Science students are experiencing this first-hand, learning different surgical techniques and suturing skills.

The third year of the Biomedical Science program, Medical Interventions, is one of the most rigorous courses taught in the STEM program at Santa Rosa Academy. Students go through four units, each focusing, in depth, on different medical interventions. The most recent unit studied the logistics of surgical intervention.

Students learned about organ donation and transplantation and how several medical procedures are executed by today’s surgeons. Delany Lizarraga, third-year Biomed student, described the learning material.

"Although it's complex, I am excited about the things we are learning and how applicable they are," Lizarraga said. "I am learning things that I had no idea that I wanted to even know."

Students were not only able to learn about these complex concepts, but were also able to put them into practice. Each student was able to practice several suturing techniques on real pigs' feet to understand how it would feel to practice these procedures on patients.

"It was surreal to be able to actually get a feel for what it would be like to give stitches to a person who needs them," said senior Megan Evans. "I felt like a real surgeon and that’s what I love about biomed. It makes you realize that no matter how crazy your dreams may seem, they are always within reach."

Kirk Fisher, Biomedical Science teacher of five years, continuously encourages his students to reach for goals that at times may seem out of reach, and to work hard to get there, said student Ari’ya McDonald.

Santa Rosa Academy is located in Menifee and is a STEM-based charter school, excelling in science and math related subjects. Once course that faultlessly represents the ideals of the presence of these classes within the school is a four-year biomedical elective course that the school offers to its high school students and even mandates two semesters of introductory to biomed for middle school students.