Students of Medicine Involved in Local Education – Doctors Ought to Care (SMILE Docs) is a UVM program that matches medical students with local elementary school classes to provide a fun learning experience about medicine and the human body. Members visited Mater Christi School three times this spring, using models and interactive learning activities to make the lessons exciting and memorable for students.

In their first session, the third graders learned about the systems of the body, including skeletal, muscular and respiratory. Next, the SMILE Docs taught the children about medical emergencies. They opened first aid kits and talked about the various items found inside. In small groups, students were introduced to CPR and the ABC’s of medical emergencies.

At the final session, the SMILE Docs presented lessons about the five senses. At one station, children were involved in activities that discussed taste, touch and smell. Another station discussed hearing, focusing on ear anatomy and looking at real human ear bones. The third station covered sight, focusing on the structure of the eye. This is was a great collaboration between our community medical students and our third graders!

Ellen Ammirato, RN      Jennifer Coulter
School Nurse                     Third Grade Teacher