Wasilla teen introduced to medical field through university program

WASILLA -- Most Valley high school students have spent their summers working oddjobs and enjoying the absence of school and educational responsibility. But for Wasilla High School student Denis Krigbaum, the last six weeks have been spent learning at a more intense level than most of his AP classes he will be taking as a senior this fall.

Krigbaum was one of 21 students to complete the seventh annual UAA U-DOC summer enrichment program at the University of Alaska Anchorage this summer. U-DOC is a high-school student program designed to introduce junior and senior high school students to the medical sciences. The class was made up of students from all over the state, including one Talkeetna resident and 12 rural students, many of whom are taking high school correspondence classes. U-DOC is made possible through the WWAMI Program, named for participating campuses: Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho. The at-large U-DOC program is run by the University of Washington; grants from the Health Careers Opportunity Program, through the National Institute of Health, fund the project. Alaska's U-DOC program also receives funding from the Dellakeats Program, a University of Alaska Native student services program.

"[U-DOC is a way to] get your feet wet and see what the medical fields are all about," said Allison Butler, one of the instructors for the UAA U-DOC program and the UAA U-DOC biomedical program director. Ten instructors worked with the students from June 16 to July 25, introducing them to subjects such as chemistry, microbiology, anatomy and physiology, genetics, physics, oral and written communication, statistics, biomedical ethics, medical terminology and math.

While most of the subjects were introductory courses, anatomy and physiology really played into the hands-on portion of the program. The Alaska U-DOC program was the first of the U-DOC's to use human cadavers in its program, something that even nursing students taking courses at UAA are not privileged to encounter.

"A lot of the class was apprehensive [about working with the cadavers]," Krigbaum said. "I figured we were going to be doing this kind of stuff the next six weeks and just walked in and started working."

Krigbaum said working with the four cadavers was his favorite part of the program.

"It's rare for high school students to get that opportunity," he said.

Krigbaum aspires to be a dentist and shadowed two Anchorage dentists at work during the program. A friend was involved in the U-DOC program the year before, which introduced Krigbaum to the opportunity. While his friend may have inspired him to enroll in the program, which has a rigorous application process, his past medical experiences have inspired him to get into the dentistry field.

"[I've been inspired by] the doctors I've had; they made it look like a fun way to help people," Krigbaum said.

U-DOC started providing housing for the students three years ago, this year was the first year all of the students lived in the UAA dormitory. By living together in an atmosphere outside a parent's home, U-DOC not only introduced the students to the medical fields, it also introduced them to a taste of college living, although these 'college' students had a 10 p.m. curfew, three residential advisors living with the group and their car keys taken away at the beginning of the program. Each student was awarded a food stipend of $140 a week, and students received an end-of-the course stipend of up to $1,000 at the end of the program. There was no fee to attend the program.

Krigbaum said he would jump at the chance to participate in the program again next year and he learned a lot during the past six weeks.

"It was a lot of fun," he said. "It really shows you what the health careers are made of."

Krigbaum gave a bit of advice to the students who will participate in the program in the future.

"Get all you can out of it, really take advantage of it because that's why you're there," he said.