You’ll measure vital signs, practice real suturing technique, and explore the careers behind every one of these skills. One patient follows you the whole way. His name is Marco Torres — let’s meet him.

Before you start — talk it out with your team

1. What concerns you most about Marco? Why?
2. If you were the ER team, what would you check first?
3. What does his family history tell you?

Marco’s chest tightness could be his heart or his lungs — so listen to both. Watch how it’s done, learn the five spots, then take a turn with your partner.

1. Clean the earpieces. Put them in with the tips angled forward (toward your nose).
2. Heart: place the flat side (diaphragm) on the upper-left chest. Listen for the LUB–DUB.
3. Lungs: listen on the front (both sides), then the back (both sides). Calm, even, quiet breathing = normal.

Where to place it — the 5 listening spots

Know what you’re listening for

These two clips put the normal sounds in your ear before you try:

1. Listen to your partner’s heart at the spots above. Is the LUB–DUB clear and steady?
2. Listen to the lungs — front both sides, then back both sides. Quiet and even?
3. See the change: after your partner does 20 jumping jacks, listen again. How does the heartbeat sound different?

Marco reports dizziness and chest tightness — high blood pressure could explain both. This is the original method: a cuff, a gauge, and your stethoscope.

1. Wrap the cuff snugly on the bare upper arm, about an inch above the elbow.
2. Place the stethoscope over the artery at the inside of the elbow. Pump the cuff up.
3. Slowly release. The first thump you hear is the systolic (top) number; when the thumping disappears, that’s the diastolic (bottom).
4. See the change — take 3 readings: at rest, immediately after 20 jumping jacks, and after 1 minute of recovery.

Same measurement, modern tool — the cuff reads it for you. Compare what the machine says to what you heard by hand.

1. Wrap the cuff on the bare upper arm, an inch above the elbow. Sit still, feet flat, no talking.
2. Press START and stay relaxed. Record the systolic (top) and diastolic (bottom).
3. See the change — take 3 readings: at rest, right after 20 jumping jacks, and after 1 minute of recovery.
4. Switch roles and repeat.

Low oxygen can cause dizziness — check whether Marco’s blood is carrying enough. This station has two tools: the pulse oximeter and the forehead thermometer.

1. Clip the pulse oximeter onto your index finger. Wait for a steady reading (~10 seconds). Record the SpO₂ (%) and the pulse rate.
2. See the change — 3 readings: at rest, right after 20 jumping jacks, and after recovery. Watch how the pulse climbs and the oxygen holds.
3. Forehead thermometer: scan across the forehead as the device directs and record the temperature. (Normal is about 97–99°F / 36–37°C; a forehead reading runs a touch lower than the mouth.)

A quick look at the eyes and reflexes tells you about the brain and nerves — fast clues you can’t get from a blood pressure cuff.

1. Pupil size: are both pupils the same size in normal light? Unequal pupils can signal a problem.
2. Light reactivity: shine a penlight briefly into one eye — both pupils should shrink. Repeat on the other eye.
3. Accommodation: have your partner shift focus from your finger (held ~30 cm away) to a far object — the pupils should change size together.
4. Patellar reflex: with the leg hanging free, give a gentle tap just below the kneecap. Watch for the knee-jerk. Same on both sides?

1. What BP stage is Marco in? (Normal <120/80 · Elevated 120–129 · Stage 1 130–139/80–89 · Stage 2 ≥140/90 · Crisis ≥180/120)
2. Which of his vitals worries you most? Why?
3. Putting it all together — symptoms, history, and the numbers — what do you think is happening with Marco?

For this part, think about a new patient as you practice:

Meet your kit

1. Needle driver — grips and drives the needle. Hold it like a pen.
2. Tissue forceps — hold the skin steady while you pass the needle (gentle squeeze, like tweezers).
3. Suture scissors — cut the tail after the knot. Blunt tips, on purpose.
4. Scalpel handle — for identification only today; no blade attached.
5. 4-0 nylon suture — a fine monofilament thread on a curved needle. This is what you’ll practice with.

Place a simple interrupted suture

1. Enter at 90° — straight down through one edge of the wound; pass through both sides in one smooth arc.
2. Tie the instrument knot: first throw counter-clockwise (wrap, grab, pull), second throw clockwise. That’s a square knot — it won’t slip.
3. Trim the tail, leaving about 5 mm. Don’t cut too close to the knot.
4. Goal: place 3 stitches — edges meeting, spacing even (~5 mm apart), knots lying flat.

The knot is the hard part — expect to rewatch this

Level up: the simple running suture

Once your interrupted stitches are solid, try the simple running suture — one continuous thread down the wound instead of separate knots. Watch how it’s done, then give it a try on your pad.

Score yourself, then see what really happened

On your handout, score your own sutures 1–5 on four things: spacing (even ~5 mm), depth (consistent), tension (edges meet without puckering), and knot quality (flat, secure).

Go further — three more to discover

Got the interrupted and running stitches down? Real surgeons keep a whole toolkit. Challenge yourself to find out how these three work — when each is used and why — by exploring on your own or asking your instructor (no videos for these; that’s the challenge): the vertical mattress, the horizontal mattress, and the subcuticular running suture.

You just did the work of a dozen medical careers with your own hands. Now use the career cards at your table to find the ones that fit you.

Which of these sounds most like you?

1. Robotics & Tech Experts — build the machines medicine runs on.
2. High-Stakes Specialists — think fast when seconds count.
3. Lab Detectives — find the answer hidden in the data.
4. Patient Champions — walk with people through the hardest days.

1. Find the five cards in the category that fits you best.
2. Pick the two that interest you most. Scan the QR on each card to watch a day in that career.
3. On your handout: note each career’s training and pay, then commit to one real next step you could take this year.

Every tool you picked up today is in a working clinician’s hands right now. The path into this world is real, and it starts with exactly the kind of curiosity you brought to Marco and Sofia. Keep going.