Spring is a time for plans and projects. - Leo Tolstoy

The first semester young professionals have completed boot camp and strand training. They are now ready for professional experiences.

Professional experiences come in a variety of options. There are several students who are interning at companies and even being paid. There are students who have and will shadow professionals in their field of interest. Speakers from each of the different strands have come to CAPS and spoken. The business and create students even had a working breakfast with a speaker. And last but not least, several students are working on real world projects for local businesses.

It is often said about CAPS "You will only get out of it, what you put into it". Check in with your young professional and see what plans and projects they have in the works.

The spring semester has arguably had the best start for any business strand due to the sheer number of job experiences our young professionals have gained in our first seven weeks. Most of our business young professionals have by now completed multiple job shadows, and they have continually worked to expand their network via emails to our partners or searches on LinkedIn. Our first site visit was completed last week as we traveled to Textron's Global Parts and Distribution center to learn more about supply chain and logistics. Prior to spring break our students will have heard from seven different guest speakers in areas such as financial advising, project management, negotiations, entrepreneurship, and franchising. Our young professionals should be commended for the amount of resume-building experiences they have worked on this semester. We have had five students placed on internships so far in their desired career fields, and they have six ongoing client projects in areas such as graphic design, social media marketing, journalism, and non-profit benefit drives. I truly hope that our business professionals can carry this momentum into the late spring and gain the career experiences they desire prior to the end of this semester.

Engineering students have been hard at work in the lab on multiple client and personal projects as well as developing skills in their areas of interest. Here is a brief overview of some of those projects:

- Students designed and built new awards podiums for JAG Gymnastics. In addition to looking great, the podiums are specially designed to stack, store, and transport smaller items that are needed when hosting competitions.

- Students interested in mechanical engineering and automation are working on a particle filling machine for a local company. They are troubleshooting consistency and flow issues.

- Aerospace engineering students are learning 3 dimensional NC programming to cut foam fuselages and wings for gliders and rc planes that they have designed.

Students are also gearing up for a series of site visits in the next six weeks. Check back next month to read about those.

Once Bootcamp wrapped up, we jumped feet first into HIPAA, Bloodborne Pathogens, and Safety. These are the first things our students learn because they are imperative for a safe, confidential work environment. We partner with medical facilities from all over our area and want to uphold their standards. Students (even our vet students) must learn how to give the best care safely while maintaining confidentiality.

After that, we got to teach the students CPR/First Aid and AED skills. You all should be very proud of your student; they did an excellent job. According to the American Heart Association, “About 75 percent to 80 percent of all out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen at home, so being trained to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can mean the difference between life and death for a loved one. Approximately 95 percent of sudden cardiac arrest victims die before reaching the hospital.” Now, your student possesses the skills to save a life and help restart a heart.

Nurse Anne made her debut with the students this month- while they learned how to do vital signs. Anne is fully capable of having her blood pressure, pulse, and respiration taken. Students learned different ways to obtain a temperature on a patient, which ways are more accurate than others, and how to use a finger O2 monitor. We also discussed pain, and how pain is a subjective assessment, pain is what the patient says it is.

Finally, we finished with what causes infections, how they spread, why they sometimes cause disease, and the difference between an endemic, epidemic, and pandemic. We also learned how to do a surgical scrub technique, which is vital for many in the medical field, to help mitigate the spread of infections. Dr. Grantham, a trauma/burn surgeon, also graced us. He spoke with the students about medical school, what happens during residency, and what to expect after. He also gave great advice on learning how to study- you can be a sponge in high school and in undergraduate school, but once you go to medical school, you will need the tools to know how to study.

I would love to close out by saying that next month looks slower, but it isn’t. Spring semester seems to fly by, and I am starting to feel the pressure right about now. We have relatively 30 days until we shift to CAPStone, so my time with your student is getting short. We have a lot to cover and go over, and my goal is to give them the most real-world experience they can have during their time at CAPS. If you have questions, feel free to contact me via email hurleya@usd385.org, or call 316-218-4640 and ask to speak with Ashley Hurley. My office hours are 7:30 am-9:00 am and 3:00 pm-3:30 pm.

Med 2 and Med 3 students are engaged! These kids have worked hard to master the endocrine system while participating in labs about diabetes and thyroid disorders. Students learned about using blood glucose monitors and how to ensure patients are educated about their use. Everyone was able to recognize abnormal blood glucose parameters and describe proper treatment for hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia. We used our Anatomage Table to view the thyroid and parathyroid glands in detail and finished the unit by “drawing a diagnosis” on the white boards illustrating clues to help other students identify an endocrine disorder.

The first week of February we moved on to cardiology to celebrate American Heart Month! Students reviewed some familiar anatomy and physiology components of the heart and circulatory system. We then dove into the many faces of heart disease and preventative measures. We learned about antihypertensive medications, normal and abnormal heart sounds, cardiac procedures and rehabilitation. We were able to use audio recordings and manikin simulation exercises. Students were also able to participate in a virtual simulation lab where they were able to assess and diagnose cardiac patients.

On the 21st we began suture technique and will continue to cover this material for the remaining week. Students have been tying a lot of knots since Tuesday! They have learned single handed, two handed and instrument ties. We will learn various techniques such as single interrupted suture, running suture, subcutaneous, deep interrupted suture, and running lock suture to name a few. Students love this part of the course and find the tactile stimulation engaging! We will suture a variety of materials including hot dogs, banana peels, and finally chicken breasts for a more authentic tissue /texture simulated feel.

Our students have completed an unbelievable amount of job shadow hours. Many students are in the field this semester and we are thankful to Wesley Hospital for hosting a majority of them. Others include Wichita Pediatric Dentistry, Evolve Physical Therapy, Blue Chip Chiropractic, Kutter Pet Care, and Wichita Equine Surgery. Safety remains a priority here at CAPS and we plan to have a fun remainder of the semester!