Volume 17 Number 3 FALL 2000

youthful perspectives

Hospital tours are a hit with youngsters.

IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM, THEY GET HOOKED UP TO A HEART MONITOR; IN THE KITCHEN, THEY DISCOVER COOKING POTS BIG ENOUGH FOR A BATH; IN RADIOLOGY, THEY GET TO TRY THEIR HAND AT READING X-RAYS. AND IF THE LIFEFLIGHT NURSES ARE FREE, THEY GET A BONUS TRIP TO THE ROOF TO SEE THE HELICOPTER. * The student tours of Stanford Hospital are in their third year this September, thanks to the initiative of tour program director Carol Richards, a volunteer with the Office of Community and Patient Relations. Richards added these student tours a year after she launched a general tour program that includes a public tour every Thursday morning and VIP tours for special visitors as needed. One Friday a month -- though lately it's been more than that -- classes from kindergarten through high school can also arrange a visit to the hospital. Most of the time, the students are fourth-graders or younger and that's fine with Norine St. Lezin, a volunteer docent, who says it's the little ones that are the most interesting. Besides, try getting a high school kid to draw you a cool picture on a thank-you card.

After a brief orientation outside the hospital, the kids walk into the emergency department. If all goes well, and there is no actual emergency at the time, at least one lucky shaver gets put up on a gurney in the trauma room where he or she gets hooked up to the heart monitor. Nurse manager Linda Bracken and her staff are on hand to educate and entertain the kids. Her first question, "OK, who wants the first shot?" however, is usually only entertaining to the children once they see that Bracken is just kidding -- then they move away from the wall where they were huddling in fear. The kids next learn about emergency room procedures and discuss ways to reduce severity of injuries in an accident by using preventive measures such as bicycle helmets and seat belts.

Education is also emphasized in the kitchen, where Diane Hester, the hospital nutritionist, talks to the students about the importance of a good diet. At least one student, though, was most impressed with the huge cooking pots. He wrote in a letter after the tour that it was so big he "thought he could take a bath in it."

Jeff Costellino, a radiology technician, handles the third stop on the tour and usually includes a little quiz. He displays several X-rays and asks the kids to guess what bone they're looking at. He'll usually include a head and neck X-ray that illustrates the damage that can occur when a person is not wearing a helmet or seat belt. The hardest X-ray to guess, recalls St. Lezin, was of Siamese twins, though one future surgeon got even that one right, she adds.

Finally, if time permits and if the Lifeflight personnel are not out on assignment, the students go up on the roof and see the helicopter. And if the kids are really lucky, they get to take turns sitting in the cockpit. Soon all thoughts of safety helmets, seat belts and balanced diets are temporarily forgotten as the children experience the awesome machine. -- CHRIS DINGMAN

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE TOUR PROGRAM, CALL CAROL RICHARDS, 650-725-2408.