Program Helps Kids 'Explore' Medical Careers

Dr. William Borde-Perry wasn't pulling any punches.

Working in the Easton Hospital emergency room, he told the students, isn't a job that allows room for mistakes.

"I'm in charge of life and death," he said. "The only person above me is God."

Borde-Perry was speaking to about a dozen teenagers as part of the Exploring program, held once a month at the hospital to educate kids who are interested in a medical career.

It was a Tuesday in early December, the third in a nine-week class, and the students were learning all about emergency medicine. 

"We're pretty much a jack-of-all-trades," Borde-Perry told the students. "I could treat someone who's broken their leg. I could deliver your baby...I'm not saying you're pregnant." 

He stressed that discipline and determination helped get him from the rough streets of Newark to the Ivy League to a medical career. 

Students also heard from two Easton paramedics, learned to work an automatic defibrillator and got a look inside pulmonary testing.

Exploring meets the first Tuesday of every month at the hospital, and is open to young people ages 14-20 who have finished eighth grade. To register, contact Lynn Harrison at 610-465-8580 or lynn.harrison@scouting.org