The high school juniors and seniors found out that ear wax is good, and that a human heart looks like a potato and should go "lub dub, lub dub" and not "lub schlub, lub schlub."

They heard that pneumonia sounds like the snap, crackle and pop of Rice Krispies. They learned that doctors deliver the baby ... but ... delivering the placenta, "that's the medical student's job," fourth-year medical student Caitlin Chiles said.

Those lessons came at Doc for a Day, an annual program at the KU School of Medicine-Wichita that gives high school students a hands-on introduction to medical school and careers. This year the program expanded to 100 spots from 75 and they filled quickly, said Dr. Scott Moser, vice chair for education in the Department of Family and Community Medicine.

"I've never done this before," said Kerr Belencio, a student at Wichita's Northeast Magnet High School, while learning to take blood pressure.

"That's why you're here." replied first-year Kimmie Hinman, one of about 40 medical students teaching the sessions.

Doc for a Day exposes high school students not only to medical procedures but also to the enthusiasm of medical students and to a realistic look at what it takes to become a doctor, nurse, or other health care provider. It also gives parents the chance to ask about what a medical career requires of their children.

The day opened with bagels, juice, and coffee - high school and medical students share a love of free food - and then an introduction to a variety of medical careers. Physician assistant, nurse, pharmacist, EMT, physical therapist, and doctor all were described, along with the training required for each career.

Fourth-year medical students Whitney Weixelman and Stephanie Shields then shared advice on why participants should choose KU (good training), required college classes, costs of medical school and how long it takes (depends on the specialty). After eight years of schooling comes residency and a paycheck - "enough to live on and start paying loans back ... -ish," Weixelman said, laughing.

The high schoolers then moved on to what interested many of them the most: 10 hands-on sessions to try out medical procedures. They delivered a baby (doll), read X-rays, tied surgical knots, examined an actual pregnant woman, intubated a patient, inserted needles and drew (fake) blood, took blood pressure, performed neurological tests, peered into each other's ears, and looked over a weathered human heart.

"This is fake, right?" Belencio asked as second-year medical student Alex Johnson lifted a human brain from a tub and explained its parts and functions.

During sessions, students often tried procedures on one another. "Not quite that far," said Maddie Monroe of Wichita East High School as another student got a little too far up the ear with an otoscope.

"I got a chance to do actual things," Maize High's Mariah Rey said soon after exclaiming "I think I got it" while inserting a breathing tube. "I liked the simulations."

Medical students shared their knowledge, what it takes to get into medical school and what drew them to medicine. The high school students heard that you don't have to major in biology or chemistry as an undergrad, that although certain science classes are necessary you can earn a degree in French, Spanish, engineering, or other subjects.

The key is to "do something you are interested in," said first-year student Jocelyn Matoon. Shadow everyone - nurses, PTs, not just doctors - and record your experiences. MCAT scores and good grades are important, but so are passion, persistence, and strong ties to Kansas, they were told.

The students' partners in education, their parents, had a chance to tour the medical school and ask questions. They learned about the different KU campuses, asked about minimum MCAT scores and worried about the course load involved. Parents inquired about costs, and one asked how long it takes to pay back loans.

After students shared what they pay and will borrow, Dr. Moser provided a bit of a warning about who is fueling a career in medicine. The toughest stories he remembered over the years, he said, were when parents wanted their child to go to medical school more than the child did.

That caution fit well with second-year Cheryl Dobson's thoughts on the criteria for medical school admission: "They want to know you're smart enough" and "if this is the kind of person I would want to take care of me." And, she said, "They want to see you have heart."

Doc for a Day 2014 photo gallery