Every year, a select group of 25 seniors who are interested in the medical field eagerly look forward to being a part of York’s very own Anatomy and Physiology/Medical Careers class.

This unique class meets for two periods every day to learn a year’s worth of Anatomy and Physiology in one semester.

“It was a struggle learning so many meticulous things about the human body and eventually realizing you’ve only scratched the surface of information,” said senior Medical Careers student Kaitlyn Novy.

Towards the end of the first semester, students went on their annual trip to the morgue at Rush Hospital. During their trip, students were able to examine and suture cadavers.

“It was so much fun being able to look at the cadavers,” said Kaitlyn Kunde, a senior Medical Careers student . “I really liked learning how to suture because it would be useful for the future.”

After the first semester, students who pass the semester with a ‘C’ or higher can pick their eight rotations which they will shadow for two weeks at a time.

“We never had a program like this in high school,” said Critical Care Nurse, Lisa Zimmer. “I wish we had a program like this because that would have made choosing my major in college much easier.”

This year, students were able to shadow family practice, DeVries Animal Hospital, NovaCare Physical Therapy, laboratory, critical care and 20 other different rotations.

According to the York catalog, Medical Careers students “work with medical personnel in such activities as caring for patients, taking vital signs, and keeping records.”

After participating in a variety of activities like the ones previously mentioned, students eventually develop a deep liking for a certain rotation.

“My favorite rotation was Specials Two,” said senior Medical Careers student Kayla Arroyo. “All the people were really nice and I liked the happiness they brought [to the patients].”

A program like Medical Careers helped solidify students’ decisions in what they want to study, such as Kayla Arroyo who knew she wanted to become a nurse.

However, Medical Careers not only solidified what a student wants to do in college, it also helped a myriad of students choose what they want to do in the medical field.

For example, Kunde — who originally wanted to become a pediatric physician– has now changed her major to nursing after shadowing at NovaCare Physical Therapy.

After a successful year of passing Anatomy & Physiology and shadowing medical staffers, the Medical Careers Class of 2016 wish the best to the upcoming class.