STEAM: Anatomy and Physiology with Ms. Santana

STEAM is an educational approach that consists of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics. This program is known for helping students develop critical thinking, experimental learning and much more. I had the pleasure of speaking to Ms. Margarita Santana who teaches Anatomy and Physiology Honors STEAM.

This class is in the health science track and is a junior-year requirement. Ms. Santana mentioned how STEAM is a great opportunity for students to get a hands-on idea of what that field offers. In her case, she loves to interact with her students and let them experiment with the human body through hospital visits as well as in-class activities. Her class is essentially a foundation for what her students are going to do their senior year. Talking about topics like the different systems, their functions, anatomy, means that in their senior year those students will be ready to shadow professionals at a hospital. One of the really exciting parts about her class is that students can actually practice everything that is taught. Students get the opportunity to draw blood, and even perform different tests as well as process them.

“Anatomy and Physiology is about our bodies. It’s a class that’s good for anyone, simply because you’re learning about yourself. When you talk to a doctor, you’re going understand simple terms. When you’re looking at the news, you’ll understand more about what they’re talking about,” said Ms. Santana.

Because her class is about the body, there’s always conversations. Students relate to things they see in class, in their personal life, and learn about diseases which are common in the family or community.

Students also interact with doctors, for example, at Mercy Hospital. Every floor is focused on a specific system, so students rotate and by the end of the year develop more knowledge. One floor could be about the respiratory system and another one about neurology.

“It’s as important to know what you like as it is to know what you don’t like,” she said.

Ms. Santana says that the STEAM program teaches students what they want to do in their future, but also what they aren’t interested in. The great thing about this program is that there’s a diversity of classes students can take and experiment in, and they will all benefit students in some way.

If you’re interested in topics like anatomy and physiology, consider taking her class and experiencing the STEAM program.