(GARLAND ISD-December 27, 2012) Valued at $2 million, the da Vinci surgical robot is a hot commodity among hospitals in North Texas. Baylor Medical Center at Garland proudly acquired one last July, and several North Garland High School students now belong to an elite group of skilled da Vinci operators.
During a special presentation Dec. 3, Baylor Garland brought the robot to GISD’s Harris Hill Administration Building. Health science students from NGHS and Sachse High School, as well as robotics students from Hudson Middle School, were invited to hear how da Vinci is changing the future of surgical procedures.
“For many years, Baylor Medical Center at Garland has collaborated with the Garland School District Health Science Technology program,” said Tom Trenary, president at Baylor Garland. “Having a robotics presentation was a great opportunity for Career and Technology students to hear about the advances in surgery through robotic surgery. Who knows, some of the students that attended the presentation could be future leaders in health care.”
According to Baylor Garland’s website, da Vinci expands surgeon’s capabilities with 360-degree rotation and 10x 3D magnification. It also offers a minimally invasive option for major surgery, limiting the number of incisions to one in some cases.
After tracking technological advancements in medicine from the Stone Age to a time when robots will autonomously perform surgeries themselves, Garland ISD students were invited to operate the da Vinci. They used its robotic arms to retrieve rubber rings from plastic peaks and chasms in an oversized petri dish.
“This was a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Kevin Hunter, health science teacher at North Garland. “I get to take a lot of students on clinical rotation through hospitals, looking and observing but never handling any of the equipment. This was their best chance to become completely immersed in this innovative technology.”
For some students in attendance, the presentation wasn’t merely a lesson in modern medicine, it was a catalyst for their future careers.
“The da Vinci has been an interest of mine since middle school,” said NGHS junior Nicole Dalton. “I wish to be able to use a system like it to make blue baby surgeries safer, more dependable and less invasive.”
“I had some students who previously felt their hands were not steady enough to do the delicate work needed in some procedures change their minds after seeing how the machine could still their tremors,” commented Hunter. “A few have become excited enough to change their concentration of study to encompass surgery.”
North Garland High School is home to a nationally recognized Health Sciences program. Last year, two students won first place in national Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) competition. NGHS students also complete clinical rotations at several prestigious hospitals around North Texas, including Baylor University Medical Center, Medical City of Dallas, Methodist Richardson Medical Center, St. Paul Hospital, UT Southwestern, and Zale Lipshy University Hospital.
And, construction is underway at the GISD campus to expand its medical program. New additions will include a mini hospital, allowing students to perform multiple simulations of different medical scenarios. There will also be two fully equipped labs that will allow biotechnology, microbiology, pathophysiology and medical laboratory experiments to be performed in class.
“We have three doctors, a medical technologist and a registered nurse on staff to lead NGHS students toward careers in the medical field,” said Hunter. “We have dedicated ourselves to see how many students we can get into medical school or related fields of study.”
Submitted by Tiffany Graber, Communications Specialist, Garland ISD.
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