Medical Profession 

Tips and Expectations: 

Step 1: Choosing a Career

• Select a specific medical career (not just “doctor” or “nurse”) — examples include: Radiologic Technologist, Cardiothoracic Surgeon, Respiratory Therapist, Physical Therapist, Forensic Pathologist, Occupational Therapist, EMT/Paramedic, Genetic Counselor, Pharmacist, Anesthesiologist, etc.

• Mr. Dawkins will ensure both groups in this category choose different careers to maximize variety.

Step 2: Research Expectations

• Your project or presentation should cover the following key areas:

• Role & Responsibilities: What does someone in this career actually do day-to-day?

• Work Environment: Where do they typically work (hospital, clinic, lab, outdoors)?

• Education & Training: Degrees, certifications, residency, licensing, or specialized training required.

• Salary Range & Job Outlook: Median salary, employment growth, demand trends.

• Relevant Anatomy/Physiology Knowledge: What body systems does this career most often interact with? (e.g., cardiologists with cardiovascular, respiratory therapists with respiratory, physical therapists with muscular/nervous).

• Tools & Technology Used: What unique instruments, equipment, or diagnostic tools are essential?

• Common Conditions Treated: What diseases, injuries, or patient needs are they most likely to see?

• Why It’s Important: The most important one! Explain this career’s role in the healthcare system.

Step 3: Other Considerations and Content Tips

• Avoid overly long text blocks — use bullet points and visuals.

• Include at least one diagram, image, or chart related to the career.

• Tie back to Anatomy & Physiology concepts (body systems involved, skills like auscultation, palpation, imaging).

• Use credible sources (medical associations, government career outlooks, hospitals, peer-reviewed info).

Step 4: Finishing Touches - Creative & Engagement Options

• Bring in a prop/tool (e.g., stethoscope, reflex hammer, model skeleton, lab coat).

• Share a case study or patient scenario that career professionals might face.

• Role-play a “day in the life” of the career for the class.

• Include a brief interactive element (quiz question, demonstration, skit, or audience poll).

Diagnostic Delivery

Tips and Expectations:

Step 1: Choosing a Topic (It’s most impactful if your group has a special interest in a particular topic)

• Select a specific disorder, disease, or medical imbalance connected to the body system currently being studied. Examples:

• Cardiovascular: Hypertension, Myocardial Infarction, Arrhythmia

• Respiratory: Asthma,Pneumonia, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

• Muscular/Skeletal: Muscular Dystrophy, Osteoporosis, Scoliosis

• Nervous: Neuropathy, Parkinson’s Disease, Multiple Sclerosis

• Urinary/Endocrine: Kidney Stones, Addison’s Disease, Diabetes Mellitus

• Mr. Dawkins will ensure you avoid choosing the same topic as another group.

Step 2: Research Expectations

Your presentation should cover these points:

• Definition & Overview: What is the disorder or imbalance? Include medical terminology.

• Etiology: What causes this disorder? (genetic, environmental, lifestyle, infectious, etc.)

• Symptoms & Signs: How does it present in patients? Include visual examples if possible.

• Anatomy & Physiology Connections: Which body systems, organs, or tissues are affected?

• Diagnosis: How is the disorder identified? Include lab tests, imaging, or clinical examination techniques (auscultation, palpation, reflex testing, etc.).

• Treatment & Management: How is it treated, managed, or monitored? Include lifestyle, pharmacologic, or surgical interventions if relevant.

• Importance: Why is understanding this disorder critical for healthcare? (This is a huge emphasis!)

Step 3: Other Considerations and Content Tips

·       Use bullet points instead of long paragraphs.

·       Include at least one visual: diagram, medical image, X-ray, histology slide, or chart.

·       Highlight diagnostic techniques (palpation, auscultation, imaging, lab tests) and tie them to anatomy/physiology.

·       Use credible sources: medical journals, textbooks, or reputable health websites.

·       Keep your explanations concise but accurate and focus on how the disorder affects the body and how it’s detected.

Step 4: Finishing Touches - Creative & Engagement Options

·       Bring in a prop or model demonstrating the affected organ/system.

·       Create a case study or patient scenario showing how the disorder is diagnosed.

·       Include an interactive element, e.g., ask classmates to guess the disorder from symptoms or lab results.

·       Show before/after treatment images or simulate diagnostic techniques in class (like a mock auscultation or reflex test).

Think of yourselves as medical detectives! Your goal is to show how a disorder is uncovered, what it does to the body, and how healthcare professionals respond

Cytology/Histology 

Tips and Expectations 

Step 1: Choosing a Cell or Tissue

• Select a specific cell or tissue type that is specialized within the body system currently being studied. Please seek out unique examples before examining the following Examples:

• Cardiovascular: Cardiac muscle cells, endothelial cells

• Respiratory: Ciliated epithelial cells, alveolar cells

• Muscular/Skeletal: Skeletal muscle fibers, chondrocytes, osteocytes

• Nervous: Neurons, glial cells

• Digestive: Goblet cells, hepatocytes

• Urinary/Endocrine: Podocytes, beta cells of the pancreas

• There is a great possibility that we will cover your selected tissue(s) or cell(s) as a class. Redundancy is a good thing!

Step 2: Research Expectations

Your presentation should cover these key areas:

• Cell/Tissue Identification: Name, location, and basic structure. Include diagrams or microscopic images.

• Function & Role: Explain what the cell/tissue does and why it is important in its organ system.

• Special Features & Adaptations: What makes this cell/tissue specialized? Consider structure-function relationships.

• Development & Lifecycle: If applicable, explain how the cell/tissue develops, regenerates, or dies.

• Interactions with Other Cells/Tissues: How it communicates or integrates with surrounding structures.

• Clinical Relevance: Diseases or disorders that affect this cell/tissue type, including etiology if relevant.

• Connection to Class (current unit): How does the cell/tissue contribute to the function of the organ or system?

Step 3: Other Considerations and Content Tips

·        Use bullet points and labeled images instead of long paragraphs.

·        Include at least one labeled microscopic image or diagram showing the cell/tissue clearly.

·        Highlight unique features and relate them to function. e.g., “Ciliated epithelial cells move mucus to protect the lungs.”

·        Include any clinical relevance: what happens if this cell/tissue is damaged or diseased.

·        Use credible sources: histology textbooks, scientific journals, reputable medical websites.

Step 4: Finishing Touches - Creative & Engagement Options

·        Bring a 3D model or physical representation of the cell/tissue.

·        Create a case study showing how damage to this cell/tissue affects the organ system.

·        Include an interactive activity (e.g., ask classmates to identify features in a histology image).

·        Use animations or videos showing cell activity or tissue function if available.

·        Compare the cell to other well known cell types (size (in µm, function, shape, etc.)

Recent Research

Tips and Expectations 

Step 1: Choosing a Research Article

• Each group selects a recent research article (ideally within the last 5 years) that relates to the body system currently being studied. Examples:

• Cardiovascular: Recent studies on cardiac regeneration, hypertension treatment, or new stent technologies

• Respiratory: Studies on COVID-19 treatments, asthma therapies, or lung tissue engineering

• Muscular/Skeletal: Research on osteoporosis interventions, muscle regeneration, or tendon repair

• Nervous: Research on neurodegenerative disease therapies, neural plasticity, or brain imaging techniques

• Digestive: Studies on microbiome impacts, liver regeneration, or GI disease therapies

• Urinary/Endocrine: Research on diabetes, kidney disease, or adrenal hormone therapies

• Ensure articles are peer-reviewed or from credible journals (PubMed, JAMA, NEJM, Science, Nature, medical Xpress.com (my personal favorite), phys.org, etc.).

Step 2: Research Expectations

Your presentation should cover the following:

• Article Overview: Title, authors, journal, and publication date.

• Research Question or Hypothesis: What was the purpose of the study?

• Methods: How was the research conducted? Include techniques, populations, or models studied.

• Key Findings: What were the major results or conclusions?

• Connection to Anatomy & Physiology: Which organs, tissues, or systems were studied, and how do the findings relate to function?

• Clinical or Practical Relevance: How could this research impact patient care, diagnostics, or treatment?

• Limitations or Considerations: What are the potential weaknesses or areas for future study?

Step 3: Other Considerations and Content Tips

• Use bullet points and visuals (figures, graphs, charts) from the research paper.

• Translate complex terminology into clear, understandable language for classmates.

• Highlight how the study advances understanding of the body system.

• Discuss why the research matters for health, diagnosis, or treatment.

• Include citations for all sources used.

 Step 4: Finishing Touches - Creative & Engagement Options

·        Imagine you are the researchers! We want to simplify findings for an easy path to understanding for your peers.

·        Present a diagram or figure from the research with labels or simplifications.

·        Create a case study scenario inspired by the research findings.

·        Ask classmates a question related to the findings to encourage discussion.

·        Use animations or short videos if the research involves physiological processes or lab techniques.

Pathology Platform

Tips and Expectations:

Step 1:  Choosing a Disease

• Select a specific disease or disorder that affects the body system currently being studied. Recommended that you choose your own outside the examples below!

• Examples:

• Cardiovascular: Myocardial infarction, Hypertension, Atherosclerosis

• Respiratory: Pneumonia, Asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

• Muscular/Skeletal: Muscular dystrophy, Osteoarthritis, Osteoporosis

• Nervous: Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Stroke

• Digestive: Crohn’s disease, Hepatitis, Ulcerative colitis

• Urinary/Endocrine: Chronic kidney disease, Addison’s disease, Diabetes Mellitus

• Mr. Dawkins will ensure your disease is different from other groups to maximize variety.

Step 2: Research Expectations

Your presentation should cover these key areas:

• Disease Overview: Name, definition, and brief description.

• Etiology: Causes of the disease (genetic, infectious, environmental, lifestyle, or unknown).

• Pathophysiology: How the disease affects normal anatomy and physiology -  what goes wrong in the body.

• Symptoms & Signs: Key clinical manifestations; include any anatomical or physiological indicators.

• Diagnosis: How is the disease identified? Include lab tests, imaging, physical exams, or other diagnostic methods.

• Treatment & Management: Standard treatments, lifestyle interventions, medications, or surgeries.

• Prognosis & Complications: Likely course of the disease and potential long-term effects.

• Connection to Anatomy & Physiology: How the disease impacts organs, tissues, and systems.

• Clinical Relevance: Why understanding this disease is important for healthcare.

Step 3: Other Considerations and Content Tips

• Use bullet points and labeled diagrams instead of long paragraphs.

• Include at least one diagram or image: anatomy affected, microscopic tissue changes, or diagnostic imaging.

• Highlight pathophysiology: explain what’s happening in the body due to the disease.

• Include diagnostic techniques relevant to the disease (auscultation, palpation, lab work, imaging).

• Use credible sources: medical textbooks, journals, CDC, NIH, WHO, professional associations.

Step 4: Finishing Touches - Creative & Engagement Options

·        Bring a model or visual representation of affected anatomy.

·        Create a case study or patient scenario showing disease progression and diagnosis.

·        Include an interactive activity: e.g., quiz classmates on symptoms or show an image of diagnostic findings.

·        Use animations or videos showing disease progression, organ dysfunction, or cellular pathology.