Nurses, doctors inspire Scouts at Northwell medical seminar

For the girls to see a nurse that was a female as well, it allowed them to see that they, too, can become a doctor or a nurse and be whoever it is they want to be.”

Kathryn Graves co-leader, Girl Scout Troop 2181

Girl Scouts from two local troops earned badges in first aid at the Baldwin Public Library last month.

First-, second- and third-graders Daisy and Brownie Scouts from Troops 2181, in Baldwin, and 2196, in Baldwin learned the importance of first aid on Nov. 18, when they were introduced to skill including how to treat an open wound.

Working with stuffed teddy bears, the girls practiced cleaning and bandaging wounds, and were invited inside an ambulance truck, where they saw all of the tools that emergency medical technicians use.

“For the girls to see a nurse that was a female as well, it allowed them to see that they, too, can become a doctor or a nurse and be whoever it is they want to be,” Kathryn Graves, co-leader of Troop 2181, said. “And that’s part of the reason why I love being part of this organization.”

Graves explained that the scouts can earn the first aid by talking to just one person in the medical field, but she wanted it to be a more impactful experience for them. With the help of Northwell Health and the library, she made it that kind of experience for 26 girls.

“We were able to get one of the Northwell ambulances to come down here in Baldwin for the girls to get a tour of the truck, hear the sound of the ambulance and see what it’s like for the ambulance to respond to a 911 call,” Graves said.

The girls also learned when to dial 911 and when not to, which led to a presentation by Caryn Boyd, a nurse at Cohen Children’s Medical Center, on first aid. Boyd demonstrated how to treat a wound.

“Right now, this is when the girls are most impressionable,” Graves said. “We want them to get this foundation of learning, like learning to care for others and learning about careers that they could potentially go into.”

Cono Cimino, director of operations at Northwell Health’s Center for Emergency Medical Services, in New York City, and Dr. Tania Revolus, a OBGYN at the Nassau University Medical Center, in East Meadow, were also on hand. Graves noted that interacting with people in the medical field exposed the girls to “careers other than the ones that are just in their immediate families.”

Making the girls aware of different career options, Graves said, will make them more confident about their futures as they get older.

“I think the girls came back from this experience with astonishment,” she said. “When they worked on the teddy bears, the girls put gloves on and they had a really great time.”

According to Graves, this was the first event that all of the scouts in Troop 2181 took part in.

“With the Girl Scouts, it’s always our motto to be prepared, be ready for any situation, and I think this event holds true with that motto,” she said. “The girls learned to be ready in any situation, and we sent them home with a little first aid kit that they created so that they’re able to be ready and prepared.”

According to Graves, the scouts will be working on a lot of other badges as they learn to be good community member, neighbors and citizens, and she will continue to invite special guests to introduce them to as part of that effort.