MONROE, N.C. -- It may be the one time where a trip to the Emergency Room is for a good reason.

• Teachers shadowed doctors, nurses and techs in the ER
• They spent 12 hours working 
• The externship is a way to bring back hands-on skills

One Monroe Middle School teacher spent last week shadowing Atrium Health's doctors, nurses and techs at the Waxhaw emergency department.

The externship, as part of the school's health and sciences academy, is a way to step away from a traditional curriculum and bring back hands-on skills to the classroom come fall. 

“Being able to see all the different ways people read, write, speak, think and communicate, I want to grow our practice to not think about traditional texts but also in the workplace and career readiness," explained English teacher Brittany Gendron. 

Teachers at Monroe Middle School spent 12 hours working on these externships.