I am beyond excited to participate in the Brandeis Summer Shadowing Program under Dr. Liliana Bordeianou and Nurse Practitioner Lieba Savitt of the Pelvic floor disorders unit at Massachusetts General Hospital. For this program, I will both shadow and participate in clinical research, making for a multifaceted and unique internship opportunity. It will be an incredible chance to gain experience in the field and learn about a career which I have been interested in for so long. I am truly excited to start.
First, I am very excited for the shadowing component of this program. Through observing Dr. Bordeianou’s practice and perhaps that of other physicians in the unit, I hope to be able to better understand and appreciate the daily tasks and responsibilities of a doctor. It is my philosophy that there is no better way to learn about a career than to experience it directly, and for this reason, I anticipate that this aspect of the program will be worthwhile. I am confident that shadowing will provide valuable insight and ultimately enhance my perception of the field of medicine.
In addition, am thrilled to be able to contribute to Dr. Bordeianou’s ongoing retrospective research to monitor the success of her treatments. As research is a great passion of mine, I was drawn to apply to this internship largely for this great opportunity. In the past, I have worked in academic laboratories performing in basic scientific studies, and this was quite impactful. It was incredible to be able to study complex details of life in order to better understand and ultimately treat disease. However, having gained an understanding of academic research, I am ready to explore the application of scientific knowledge toward clinical care. I am hopeful that helping with clinical research will allow me to better understand how it intersects with medicine, which is something that has interested me for a long time.
Although the responsibilities of this internship are very appealing to begin with, making the most out of my summer will require more than just completing all of the required tasks. It will be important for me to initiate my own learning through interacting with others and asking questions. I realize that what I will gain from the internship depends on the energy I put into it, and for that reason I must be active and engaged throughout the process. Overall, though, I am mostly excited about the program simply for the new opportunity to work in a medical environment. Until now, most of what I have learned about the field has been through reading or hearing about it from others, and while this has certainly been informative, I have yet to experience it for myself and thus construct my own perception. This internship will take place during the summer before my senior year, and as I begin to plan my next steps after college, having an informative experience with this program will be very important. But I believe that by combining the right mindset with my excitement for medicine, this program will turn out to be an enjoyable, enlightening, and interesting summer experience.