Instead of playing outside in the sunny weather Thursday, several county schoolchildren took a day out of their spring break to play dress up.

Friday, April 28, 2000

Instead of playing outside in the sunny weather Thursday, several county schoolchildren took a day out of their spring break to play dress up.

Decked out in scrubs and masks, Ironton City Schools, catholic school system and Dawson-Bryant School District children went to work with their moms, dads, uncles and aunts at River Valley Health System during national Take Your Daughter to Work Day.

RVHS took the day one step further, however, and invited the boys to tag along too, said Sue Massie, RVHS marketing director.

"We participate in this national day to help the children understand what their parents do," Mrs. Massie said.

At the same time, the day also allows the children to get a closer look behind the scenes of a hospital.

Although most of the children attending the annual event knew a little about the jobs at the hospital, they each took home a new understanding of the medical profession.

"My mom works on surgery," said T.J., a St. Lawrence Elementary School student who introduced himself as Dr. Young. "She works on people’s insides and things."

Working in such an environment explains why West Ironton kindergartner J.J. Lewis’s mom wears a hat.

"That’s why we have our hats on," J.J. said. "So we don’t get hair in their stomachs."

No actual patients were harmed during this educational day, however. The young students only got to pretend to operate on one another and view the medical equipment, Mrs. Massie said.

"They really try to simulate what their parents are doing," she said. "Their supervisor has to approve any activity involved. They show them the machinery and tell them what they do, but there’s not any hands-on experience with patients."

Nursing isn’t the only job in a hospital that’s important, though, the children learned. Each part of a hospital’s staff is an essential member of the team.

Ten-year-old Whitley Young joined her aunt Dorsey Conwell at the hospital Thursday. Miss Young learned the intricacies of being a nursing secretary.

"I learned how to eliminate papers, type, run off the newspapers and distribute it to doctors in the different departments," Miss Young said.

And Dawson-Bryant student Travis Jackson got a better understanding of the importance of medical records Thursday, as well.

"My mom takes care of people’s records," Jackson said. "They’re important so they know if they’ve been here before."

Although the day was filled with learning experiences, the children didn’t seem to mind and would take a day at work anytime over a day at school, Whitwell Elementary student Gage Roach said.

"We don’t get homework," Gage said.