Students Step into the Shoes of Doctors at MCE Simulation Event

My name is Sophie Ritola, and I’m a DP student with a strong interest in the medical field. As part of my CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service) project, I had the opportunity to create and organize an event that brought my passion to life — the Medical Career Exploration Espoo (MCE).

Earlier this school year, I participated in the Youth Mock Trial Helsinki (YMTH) at Ressu IB. I was inspired by how students were given the chance to experience the role of a lawyer in a realistic setting. That event made me realize how valuable it is to feel what a career might be like — even just for a moment. It sparked an idea: what if I could offer the same type of immersive experience, but in a medical context?

That idea became the foundation of MCE — a one-day simulation event held at our school Etis, where students worked in teams to solve medical cases under time pressure. Each team had just 30 minutes to review symptoms, analyze information, and submit a diagnosis to healthcare professionals to be assessed. Additionally, a 3 minute Emergency Response Challenge (ERC) was organized for students, to test their knowledge on the study materials under restricted time, the challenge was done individually. The goal was to simulate the critical thinking, teamwork, and urgency involved in real healthcare settings. The best performing team and individual performance in ERC were recognized and awarded with prizes. A big thank you goes to Dr. Bei Wang and medical student Elias Vehmanen. Their enormous expertise, engagement, and patience to answer the students’ questions contributed significantly to the success of this event.

Organizing the event was a challenging but rewarding process. I developed the structure, designed certificates, and created study resources to support the participants. A huge milestone was securing sponsorships from HUS and Mehiläinen, two of Finland’s leading healthcare providers. Their support helped bring professional quality to the event and showed me the power of believing in your own ideas.

Although I led the initiative, I was not alone — I had a wonderful team helping with logistics, communication, social media, photography, designing case studies, visual designing and coordination on the day. Their support played a key role in the success of MCE.

Watching the participants work under pressure, collaborate, and genuinely enjoy the challenge was the most fulfilling part of the experience. Many told me afterwards that the event gave them a new perspective on medicine — and for some, it sparked an interest in pursuing healthcare in the future. As well as most of the participants got to socialize and meet new friends both from national and IB sides.

For me, MCE was more than just a school project. It was a way to turn a personal passion into something that could inspire others. I hope the event can continue in the future and grow into a tradition that helps more students explore the world of medicine — one case at a time.

— Sophie Ritola, DP1 (2024/25)