Goals

Internship Goals

Goal #1: Expand by knowledge of laboratory procedures/methods, broaden my understanding of molecular biology, and get a feel for the environment of academia.

To achieve this, I will need to actively search out ways to participate in their research, or helping/viewing what the lab members are doing. In my short time being in the lab, I have already done certain procedures which I have never done prior such as Western Blot, immunostaining, creating a protein assay to determine protein concentration, and running gel electrophoresis from scratch, including making the gel. My next steps include running experiments completely autonomously and understand the precise mechanisms behind why we do what we do in lab.

Goal #2: Expand my professional network, explore various career paths, and obtain advice from senior lab members.

To achieve this goal, I will talk to the lab members and build good rapport with them. In my lab, there happens to be an MD/PhD and they have already proven to be a fountain of wisdom. Additionally, there are several PhD students and a PhD post-doc, so I will try to get any information I can get from them regarding what it is like to be a PhD student and why they chose to pursue this career.

Career Goals

Goal: Become a physician!

Right now, I would like to specialize in emergency medicine. I chose to pursue this career because I am highly passionate about helping others with what I have, and if I can develop the skills that doctors have, I can go to other countries and donate my time to better the lives of people all around the world. Additionally, emergency physicians have an excellent work-life balance, or at least according to the ones that I have talked to. I would love to be a physician, and I am sure that I want a career in the life sciences. I am still exploring various career options related to science such as academia, industry, and medicine.

Being a doctor is notoriously difficult. In order to be a competitive applicant, I can continue to work hard and shadow other doctors and get to know their stories and see how I can achieve that goal.

This semester, I will need to apply to summer research programs so that I can continue with my research. This step is critical as I want to keep my momentum up with my research experience. If possible, I would love to stay with Dr. Meyer, as being able to spend more time in the lab would allow me to contribute in a deeper way. Additionally, I will start shadowing physicians outside of my medical scribe position. I have been told it is a good idea to shadow specialties that you think would be the worst specialty, so my next step would be to find a pediatrician to shadow. Additionally, I will have to keep my overall GPA at a competitive level. Completing all of these tasks will require a high level of organization, time management, and avoidance of procrastination.

Often, people's goals change over time, but since my time starting with LHSI, my overall career goals have not shifted drastically. Instead, I have become more aware of certain aspects of the medical field and I have learned more about myself. For instance, I learned that I would prefer a specialty that offers me a good work/life balance. Additionally, I have learned that I will likely not pursue an MD/PhD as pursuing a PhD requires a deep passion for research, and while I like research, I do not think I would like doing exclusively research during four years.

Like any long term goal, it is a good idea to break down my career goals into manageable chunks. For this month, I need to perform well on my exams and continue to submit assignments. I also should take care of my mental health and ensure that I am relatively healthy so that I can perform on my exams and keep my motivation up. This means items such as prioritizing sleep and not skipping any meals. For the end of Spring semester, I will need to have excellent grades and have completed my LHSI experience positively. In addition, I should have secured a spot in a summer research experience. Ideally, I would also have obtained a spot shadowing some sort of physician. By this time next year, I would be very close to taking the MCAT, or perhaps would have taken it already. Additionally, I would have already gotten a great grade in Biochemistry and Physics, in addition to my Calculus class. I would also have shadowed more physicians and I would have completed my summer research experience. I would also continue researching throughout my junior year. Ideally, I would like to continue researching at the same site until I graduate. This way, I can form a complete and solid story when asked about my research experience.

My time at the internship has given me much knowledge regarding future career steps and how to get there. People in the lab have proven to be great resources regarding internships, programs, and even things such as where I can live in Indianapolis for a decent price. The lab has increased my confidence regarding knowledge of professional programs and what I would look for in my future work environment.