Mock “Teddy bear” clinic at Ferris High School empowers toddlers and teenagers in healthcare

With her stethoscope positioned on the left side of her chest, 4-year-old Cora Davies’ eyes widened.

“Buh-bum, buh-bum, buh-bum,” she said rhythmically, hearing for the first time the sound of her own heart beating.

Earpieces still in place and an eager grin on her face, she turned to listen to the heartbeats of fellow preschoolers and Ferris High School students sitting around her.

On Wednesday, staff from the Eastern Washington Area Health Education Center visited Ferris to host a mock clinic for the toddlers enrolled in the preschool at Ferris – largely staffed by high schoolers studying early childhood education. Also helping run the clinic were students from the school’s Health Occupation Students of America club.

The “Teddy Bear Clinic” was aimed at demystifying for the toddlers visits to the doctor’s, said Jaime Smith, Ferris’ biomedicine teacher and health club adviser. Kids each received their own stuffed eagle and stethoscope and health education center staff walked them through the basic steps of a check-up: taking the stuffed eagle’s height and weight, asking its imaginary symptoms and curiously listening to its pretend heartbeat.

“As they grow knowing that it’s OK to go to the doctor, and the doctor is not a mean person, but a friendly person who is here to help you, I think it’s just very important for kids to see that and then share with their families,” Smith said.

For the hourlong clinic, the toddlers were the doctors dutifully tending to their stuffed patients. At their side were medically inclined Ferris students in the school’s chapter of the Health Occupation Students of America Club.

In the club, students meet like-minded pupils interested in pursuing careers in medicine. School classes expose kids to the science surrounding health care and the club takes it a step further; exploring job opportunities and the myriad fields they can enter in health care.

The clinic on Wednesday not only sought to warm preschoolers to the doctors, but help the teenagers learn to work with youngsters in what could be a trepidatious environment. Other opportunities in their club generally center on health care for adults, who are likely more adept at asking for help or describing their symptoms than 3-year-olds.

“Having those kids have that hands-on experience with littles is really important,” said Suzie Gretch, career and technical education coordinator at the school district. “That cross curricular ability to work on their communication skills with different patient groups, that to me is why this is so important today.”

Senior Emma Metcalf, health club member, said her favorite part of the day was helping the tykes come out of their shells. Shy toddlers were soon giving her hugs after she helped them hear their own hearts.

While the science ignited her interest in medicine, she’s also drawn to the human element of health care.

“It’s something you want in your doctor, you want them to be interested in you as a person,” Metcalf said.

Jenna McDonald, director at the Health Education Center housed at EWU, said the center hosts outreach opportunities like the mock clinic at 14 counties in Eastern Washington.

In one instance after attending the mock clinic, a child brought their stuffed animal and stethoscope to a check-up as a comfort and confidence boost.

Also a nurturing presence at the clinic were Ferris students enrolled in the school’s early childhood education program, designed so that students work with youngsters much like the health club allows students exposure to careers in medicine.

Ferris is one of three Spokane high schools that offers preschool and early childhood education courses. It is a three-tiered pathway where high schoolers first take a class on childcare, ensuring they earn the necessary certification and training. After that, students are put to work – buddied up with toddlers who spend two hours each day at a classroom in Ferris under the supervision of classroom teachers. Students work with their kids one-on-one, also working on behind-the-scenes aspects of teaching like writing lesson plans for their young pupils. Finally, interested high schoolers are sent to help teachers at elementary schools in the district to earn clinical hours.

Paired one-to-one with a high schooler, toddlers form close bonds with their buddy. As the clinic came to a close and the toddlers were ready to discharge their stuffed patients, one boy curled up into the arms of his Ferris buddy.

“He’s just feeling a little tired today,” the high schooler told his adviser as the boy rested his head on his shoulder.

“Each little gets their own special person,” Gretch said.