Prodigy creates freezing method

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, May 8, 2002

David L. Williams, along with 15 other students, spent his summer vacation as a hospital volunteer. A 10th grader with a passion for biology, Williams worked mostly in a lab – a move that paid off for him and Selma Regional Medical Center.

“David was instrumental in developing a technique to freeze quality control stock used in all hospital labs, to enable the stock to be used for a longer period. This technique will save the lab time and money,” said Claire Twardy, hospital public relations and Students-In-Service program director.

And the hospital has already implemented the technique, Twardy said.

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Williams and fellow volunteers recently gathered in Selma Regional’s In-Service room to celebrate the end of this summer’s program.

Volunteer Yvonne Harris, 13, said she was glad she spent her summer volunteering at the hospital, as she hopes to be a veterinarian.

“I had a lot of fun. Working in the materials department, I got to go all over the hospital,” Harris said.

Sierra Tanner, 14, and 13 year-old Nicole Calhoun got a taste of what it would be like to work with babies. They were both assigned to the obstetrics/gynecology ward.

“I want to be a pediatrician when I grow up. That’s why I loved working in this department,” Calhoun said.

Williams, Tanner, Harris and Calhoun joined teens from Selma City Schools, Dallas County School System, private schools and home schooled students to volunteer, Twardy said.

Beginning in June, the students participated in a mandatory orientation program concerning patient confidentiality, basic infection control, safety issues, transporting patients properly, basic terminology, conduct and dress code for volunteering. After orientation, Twardy said, students were interviewed about the department they were most interested in working.

“I tried to assign them to departments that coincided with their interests,” Twardy said.

Students were assigned to various departments, including physical therapy, the auxiliary, materials management, radiology, the cardiac rehab exercise program, same day surgery, obstetrics, medical surgery and the lab.