Immersing children in the world of science and medicine

Children attending the health curriculum at the Amsterdam IMC WeekendSchool
Elsevier, Elsevier Connect, September 2016

“Nurse, pass me the scissors please,” asks Aysha, 10 years old, professionally stretching out his arm to receive the instrument. When he grows up he wants to be “a foot doctor,” but for now, he struggles with the term “orthopedists” when the nurse patiently repeats it to him.

Two floors below, Amir is learning how to apply gel for an ultrasound scan, and to identify the blurry images on the screen.

On this warm Sunday afternoon, there are more than 40 children scattered around the hospital wards, feeling their own heartbeats with oversized stethoscopes and carefully measuring their pulses, getting into little white coats and green caps. Last Sunday, they learned how a general practitioner works, and the next, they will follow the doctors on an ambulance.