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For five Saturdays this fall, Midwestern University’s Downers Grove Campus welcomed nearly 100 high school students eager to explore what it means to pursue a career in medicine. The annual Mini Medical School, hosted by the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine (CCOM), ran from October 11 through November 8, 2025, and gave aspiring healthcare professionals a front-row seat to the world of patient care, anatomy, and clinical problem-solving.

Opening Doors for the Next Generation 

More than 100 CCOM students volunteered their time, many giving up their weekends to plan lessons, lead demonstrations, and mentor participants one-on-one. 

“Mini Med is provided at no cost to students and is intended to provide equitable access to resources for students interested in a career in medicine,” said Elizabeth “Lizzy” Herr (CCOM 2028), President of Mini Med 2025. “For students who wouldn’t otherwise have access to mentorship and hands-on skills training, Mini Med provides a way to learn new things and grow students’ passion for medicine.”

Each week, participants rotated through interactive learning stations led by CCOM students, Midwestern University faculty, and student volunteers from across the University’s healthcare programs, including dentistry, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language pathology. Together, they created a hands-on experience that reflected the University’s team-based approach to patient care.

Bringing Healthcare to Life, One Lesson at a Time

Students practiced suturing, splinting, and performing ear and eye exams. They learned to listen to heart and lung sounds, interpret ultrasound images, and even perform osteopathic exams and emergency procedures like “Stop the Bleed.”

One of the highlights was a new case discussion series, which walked students through real-world clinical reasoning, from taking a patient history to ordering diagnostic tests. “We wanted to introduce clinical cases to the students,” said Maddy Schnurr (CCOM 2028), Mini Med’s Vice President of Programming. “We started the cases off with helping the students learn what questions to ask and progressed to what labs and tests to run. The final case allowed them to go through it from beginning to end.”

Throughout the program, each high schooler worked closely with a CCOM mentor on a poster presentation, choosing a medical topic to research and present to faculty and families on the final Saturday. “One of the main parts of the program is the mentorship time the students have with a medical student volunteer,” Maddy said. “The pair works on a poster of a case study to build the student’s research skills. All these skills can be translated into college and eventually medical school.”

Lessons in Leadership

The Mini Medical School is more than a pathway into medicine; it’s a shared experience in service, mentorship, and community.

“As medical students, we all have mentors who have been invaluable in our journeys to medical school,” Lizzy said. “Participating in Mini Med gives us a chance to return the favor by providing mentorship to the next generation of healthcare professionals. Reflecting on our ‘why medicine’ reminds us why we chose this career in the first place—by making a meaningful impact on our community.”

For the CCOM students who planned and led the sessions, the experience was as rewarding as it was demanding. “Organizing Mini Med has taught me the importance of community education and providing for the next generation,” Maddy added.  

After five weeks of learning and mentorship, the high school participants left inspired, more confident in their abilities, and better prepared to pursue a future in healthcare.