El Monte City School District’s (EMCSD) Hippocrates Circle Program (HCP) is in full swing, with middle schoolers from Columbia, Gidley, and Potrero getting insight into the medical field from current doctors and experts. Roughly 50 students from the three schools have participated in two study trips: one to USC Keck Medical Center in Los Angeles and the other to Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Baldwin Park to participate in hands-on experiments and use medical equipment alongside practicing medical professionals.
At Keck, students met with cardiac surgeons to dissect pig hearts and learn about common heart diseases that affect everyday people. “I really enjoyed dissecting hearts,” shared Gidley 7th grader Samantha. “I really liked learning about that because that’s the thing I want to be interested in if I decide to become a doctor.” Students used scalpels to cut into different sections of the heart to identify the parts and learn their functions. Samantha was already considering being a doctor before joining Hippocrates Circle, and the program has only solidified her interests.
During their visit to Baldwin Park Medical Center, students got an in-depth look at the facility. “Today we were given a tour around the hospital to see the different [sections] like physical therapy and treatment,” said Samantha. Students also got to sit down with medical professionals from various fields to learn about their jobs and use tools that kids often see in their doctor’s office. Pediatricians, gastroenterologists, gynecologists, and surgeons conversed with students, showing them how to take someone’s blood pressure properly, look for potential spinal or brain damage by testing reflexes, and check for normal heartbeats.
EMCSD partnered with Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park Medical Center to bring the Hippocrates Circle Program to EMCSD students, offering a general overview of the medical field. The goal is to show students who come from under-resourced communities and communities of color what is possible for them professionally as they make their way through middle school, high school, and college. Many of the doctors volunteering to participate as mentors are also from diverse cultural backgrounds, and prioritize HCP because they see themselves in the students who visit.
EMCSD’s first year included three of their six middle schools, but is expected to expand the program to all six middle school populations next year. Application for the program will be released sometime at the start of the 2026-2027 school year for 7th and 8th graders to apply. When asked why they would encourage their peers to participate, Keivan shared, “The program is just really fun and educational. It teaches you what it’s like to be a medical student, surgeon, pediatrician, physician…all kinds of stuff!”
Story and photo courtesty El Monte City School District
