Hillcrest HealthCare System hosted the first Black Men in White Coats youth summit in Tulsa on Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022. Around 200 Tulsa Public Schools students participated in the event on the University of Tulsa campus, where they went through clinical rounds, networked with providers and learned about the importance of minorities in the health care industry.
KOTV - News on 6 covered our event. Click here to view the story.
Practicing CPR and learning how to properly insert a breathing tube are just a few of the hands-on activities hundreds of Tulsa Public School students got to learn at Tuesday's Black Men in White Coats event.
Carver Middle School student, Oliver Wallace said he's been looking forward to today because he has dreams of becoming a doctor one day.
"Well, I feel very professional, and this is something I really want to do when I grow up," Wallace said.
The goals behind Hillcrest's Black Men in White Coats youth summit are exposure, inspiration, and mentoring.
Organizers hope events like this will also increase the number of black men who work in the medical field.
"We dedicate our time and being able how to figure out how to expose kids early to positive experiences in medicine," McNeil.
Students got hands-on experience from doctors, even participating in clinical rotations as if they were in medical school.
Tulsa neurologist Dr. Andre Fredieu said he hopes students see anything is possible and their future is bright.
"We're excited about just giving these students an opportunity to let them know anything is possible. Medicine is generally viewed as being one of the final frontiers, well if you develop a plan early in life anything is possible," Fredieu said.
“When I become an adult and my generation becomes older it can inspire the younger kids and then they can continue to evolve, and it can be more common," Wallace said.
This was the first time TPS students have participated in this event.