Naval Hospital (NH) Jacksonville hosted its annual Science, Service, Medicine and Mentoring (S2M2) internship at the hospital June 10-14 with 13 high school students from Darnell-Cookman School of the Medical Arts.

“With S2M2, we’re growing the next generation of medical professionals,” said Capt. Matthew Case, NH Jacksonville commander. “And the students have the privilege of helping us heal our nation’s heroes: our active duty, retired military and families.”

The goal of NH Jacksonville’s S2M2 program is to nurture high school students’ commitment to science and medicine in a welcoming and intellectually stimulating environment. The S2M2 partnership with Darnell-Cookman complements the school’s focus on equipping high-performing students with the skills to pursue advanced medical degrees.

“It was an awesome experience to venture out into the different clinics around the hospital and see military medicine first hand,” said Cali Gozum, a rising 10th grader from Darnell-Cookman School of the Medical Arts. “If anyone plans to have a career in medicine, this is the internship for them.”

In addition to clinical rotations through the operating suites, outpatient clinics, and inpatient units, students participated in hospital corpsman skills training and Trauma Combat Casualty Care’s obstacle course. They witnessed how Navy first responders conduct combat trauma care. Students also performed medical procedures on life-like mannequins in the hospital’s simulation laboratory, and performed orthopedic procedures on artificial bone and joints.

"It was really cool to experience the different medical careers available in the Navy,” said Ashton Penrod, a rising 11th grader from Darnell-Cookman School of the Medical Arts.

S2M2 was developed in 2004 by the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, and launched in 2010 at NH Jacksonville. It includes two activities each academic year: a kick-off event in the fall at Darnell-Cookman for about 80 ninth and 10th graders, and a week-long immersion program the next summer at NH Jacksonville for a select group. To date, the hospital has hosted 85 Darnell-Cookman students at its summer internship.

Naval Hospital Jacksonville and Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Command Jacksonville deliver quality health care, in an integrated system of readiness and health.  NH Jacksonville includes five branch health clinics across Florida and Georgia. It serves 163,000 active-duty and retired Sailors, Marines, soldiers, airmen, guardsmen and their families, including about 83,000 patients who are enrolled with a primary care manager.

To find out more, visit www.med.navy.mil/sites/navalhospitaljax.

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For more news from Naval Hospital Jacksonville, visit www.navy.mil/.