Kids do 'surgery' via iPads in new Discovery Gateway exhibit
Kids piloting the Life Flight helicopter at Discovery Gateway now have an emergency room where they can pretend to deliver — and save — patients.
On Friday, Discovery Gateway: The Children's Museum of Utah expanded its "Saving Lives from the Sky" exhibit — featuring an authentic Life Flight helicopter — to include a mock Primary Children's Medical Center Emergency Department.
Up to 40 children can play together, from coordinating a Life Flight launch to transporting patients from the helicopter to the emergency department and arranging treatment.
Kids can dress up and play a role on the hospital emergency team. Some can treat patients in the triage area while others take X-rays or run a CT/MRI scan.
Aspiring surgeons can perform one of three surgeries via iPad apps, including skull, wrist or leg fracture surgeries.
The new Saving Lives exhibit is sponsored by Intermountain Healthcare.
"We believe it will give children a glimpse of what it is like to take care of people and save lives," said Amy Pasmann, director of Emergency Services at Primary Children's, in a statement.
Kids can get a "hands-on feeling for what it's like to be a helicopter pilot or a surgeon, leading them to a variety of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields as they grow and discover more about the world around them," museum CEO Maria Farrington added in the statement.
The exhibit's official grand opening is Saturday. In honor of the museum's 35th anniversary, admission is $3.50 all day, with $35 off annual memberships.
Find details at DiscoveryGateway.org.