Engaging future orthopedic surgeons

Recently, Dianne Little, BVSc, PhD, MRCVS, DACVS Assistant Professor of Basic Medical Sciences at Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine, reached out to us about donating some bones for an engagement session she was going to be doing in a third grade classroom about being an Human or Veterinary Orthopaedic Surgeonor Engineer. With the help of her graduate students, the kids learned about bone health, fracture prevention, and different ways to fix fractures. Then they got to compare human, cat and dog femurs and pelvises and a calf femur. After learning about drill safety each kid got to ‘fix’ a fractured femur. As you can see the implants aren't real but the kids didn't seem to mind!

According to Dianne, "They loved it, and teachers were so appreciative. We used plastic strap hanger for the plate ( no sharp edges), with woodscrews, and electrical tape to ‘clamp’ the plate to the bone."

 

Thanks Dianne for sharing your love of teaching and learning with future generations of orthopaedic surgeons!