Since 2001, hundreds of Kansas high school students have stepped inside of a medical school for the first time as part of the annual Doc for a Day event at KU School of Medicine-Wichita.

Derek Remitar, now a second-year medical student at KU School of Medicine-Wichita, remembers the experience all too well — and how it inspired him to pursue a career in medicine. He was a high school student at Kapaun Mt. Carmel Catholic High School in Wichita when he got to be “Doc for a Day” and see what medical school was all about.

"When I look back at my journey to medical school, I remember attending events like Doc for a Day at the KU campus here in Wichita,” Remitar said. “The ability to become immersed in activities and interact directly with medical students meant the world to me, and I would not be where I am today if I hadn't had such experiences.”

This year, 67 Kansas high school students attended Doc for a Day on Nov. 8 at KU School of Medicine-Wichita, where they learned a variety of skills and medical techniques from the 26 medical students who volunteered to help with the event, including Remitar.

“To provide other students in our community with that opportunity was extremely rewarding," Remitar said, reflecting on the experience he once had as a high school student.

From checking vital signs to Code Blue simulation, suturing, virtual reality sessions and even delivering a baby from a high-tech manikin in the Simulation Center, the activities during Doc for a Day aim to increase high school students’ interest in the medical field.

High school principals and guidance counselors recommend high school students for participation in Doc for a Day. The program is sponsored by the student-led Family Medicine Interest Group at KU School of Medicine-Wichita with support from the Department of Family & Community Medicine.

“Doc for a Day continues to be a great way for high school students to get a glimpse of medicine,” said Tessa Rohrberg, M.D., associate professor in the Department of Family & Community Medicine and FMIG advisor. “Each session brings new applicants who haven’t participated before, and I’m consistently impressed by our medical students’ energy and organization in hosting. It’s always fun to see the impact the experience has on the high schoolers by the end of the morning.”

Students participating in the 2025 Doc for a Day were from the following schools:

• Andover Central High School
• Arkansas City High School
• Buhler High School
• Central Christian Academy-Wichita
• Cheney High School
• Conway Springs High School
• Derby High School
• Douglass High School
• El Dorado High School
• Goddard High School
• Halstead High School
• Kingman Middle-High School
• Maize High School
• Maize South High School
• Mulvane High School
• Newton High School
• Valley Center High School
• Wellington High School
• Wichita East High School
• Wichita North High School
• Wichita Northeast Magnet High School
• Wichita Northwest High School
• Winfield High School

To see more photos from Doc for a Day, view the photo album. 

Above, left: Medical students Derek Remitar, left, and Connor Owen, right, sit in the Roberts Amphitheater during Doc for a Day at KU School of Medicine-Wichita.

Above, right: Medical student Eli Wolfe assists a high school student with suturing during Doc for a Day at KU School of Medicine-Wichita.