Workplace

Strengths going into the internship:

I work at Riley Hospital for Children as a patient care technician. Through this work I have become comfortable speaking with patients and their families. A part of this internship is recruitment at the Sickle Cell Disease clinic at Riley. Appointments at the clinic at lengthy because they see many different providers during their visit. I am typically the last person to see them, so they are ready to leave at that point. Since I have experience in patient care, I know how to keep my approach short and sweet. I also know how to listen if they have any concerns regarding the study or questionnaire. 

Improvements to work on throughout the semester:

I big part of this internship is doing literature searches and reviews. When conducting a study, it is important to read any previous work done in the field. It can be difficult to find previous research on a topic, especially in pediatric patients. I had never done any extensive literature searches or reviews before. For my LHSI project, I will help write a manuscript on evidence-based interventions in community mental health centers. I have never analyzed research nor written a paper as formal as this one. 

Progress on the improvements:

I feel much more comfortable doing literature searches now. I have learned that it is helpful to look in the works cited of articles to find related ones. It is also helpful to have key words to use when researching. Looking up the exact topic will often leave you empty handed. This is especially true when trying to find recent work because looking in the works cited will not give you more recent articles. I have learned a lot about formal writing through this internship. I have written the introduction for the manuscript and gotten feedback on it. It is difficult to keep it short and to the point but also have all the necessary information. 

My contributions:

Dr. Williams is a busy person, so she needs help with the little tasks. A huge task that I have helped her with is recruitment in the Sickle Cell clinic. She does not have the time to sit in the clinic all day and see patients, but that is the only way to recruit participants. I do have the time to sit in the clinic and see patients. While this may not seem like a very difficult or valuable task, it is the only way the research can continue. I have also done a lot of literature searches on projects she is interested in starting. It takes a long time to comb through research to find out if it is already done and what methods were used. It is especially difficult to find research in pediatrics on some issues. By taking the time to comb through articles, she is able to progress quicker with the project. 

Working as a team:

I have learned that people work at different paces. Everyone has their own schedules, so it can be difficult to get a task done that requires multiple individuals' efforts. The project might be on the back burner for one person and on the top of another person's to-do list. I have also learned how much I do not know. Dr. Williams and her collegues have worked with many students at different skill levels. I had no clue where to start when writing the introduction for the manuscript, but they were patient and helped me. 

Learning

I am still struggling with the same skills as the beginning of the semester, but there has been improvement. I struggle with confronting failure, goal making, and adaptability. I have made some progress on confronting failure. I wrote an introduction for a manuscript, and the provider who reviewed it basically rewrote the entire thing. However, I learned so much from the comment she made. I have not made much progress on goal making because I am a self-driven person, so I feel goals do not provide benefit to me. I have made a lot of progress on adaptability. I have had to work with many different providers throughout this internship, and it can be difficult to adjust to new expectations. I am also thrown into different projects at different stages, so I have to go back and read the protocol to understand the study before I work on recruitment for example. Right now, I am working on developing a contact registry with Cincinnati Children's, and I have had to make phone calls to previous study participants. I have never had to make phone calls to patients before, so it was a new and scary experience. 

I would like to continue building teamwork skills. This internship has been mostly independent work, so I have not had much opportunity to do so. 

I have built on the independence and taking initiative skills. Almost all of the work is remote, so I have to find the motivation to work from home. I have not had any issues with this. 

Success and Challenges

I have had success in learning all about how a study is conducted. I did not realize how much time and background work went into a study before it is launched. I have loved working on multiple projects all at different points. I have seen the very beginning of an idea and researching current research on the idea. I have seen drafting the protocol. I have seen the actual questionnaire drafting. I have seen the flyer creation and beginning launch. I have seen recruitment and follow-up surveys. Lastly, I have seen the manuscript after the research is finished. Having this knowledge may help me in medical school and my future career because I may start my own study.

I have struggled with overcoming setbacks. More times than not, a patient that I planned to see for recruitment does not show up to their appointment. It is frustrating to sit in the clinic all day waiting on a patient who does not show up. This also sets back the research even more as we are struggling to get enough participants. Dr. Williams reminds me that this is just how it goes sometimes. Studies often fail due to lack of interest and/or people willing to complete the survey. During literature searches, it is oftentimes difficult to find research on the pediatric side. Dr. Williams resassures me that it may not be out there, and that is why she is conducting the research. 

Internship Goals 

Goal: Learn how to communicate with both patients and colleagues in a professional manner. ​  

​​My future career plans include direct contact with patients and families to discuss my treatment plan. Surgery can be scary for everyone, so being able to effectively communicate what I will be doing during surgery can help ease the anxiety. There may be times when my colleagues and I disagree on a treatment plan. I will need to convey my own thoughts while also taking theirs into consideration.  ​ 

1. ​​This skill has been developed through recruiting at the Sickle Cell Clinic​.

2. ​​I have needed to communicate with Dr. Williams and many of her colleagues. 

3. ​​I have worked closely with the other intern at my site. 

Goal: I would like to understand how conducting a clinical study works. ​ 

​​In my future career, I will be exposed to many different illnesses and conditions. I may become passionate about something that I would like to research or study. ​ 

1. ​​I have had the chance to help draft an informed consent and IRB protocol for a study. 

2. ​​I have learned how to navigate RedCap. 

3. ​​I have done study recruitment in the Sickle Cell Clinic. 

Goal: I would like to develop my professional writing skills. ​ 

​​For my senior capstone, I will be writing a research paper and more than likely a literature review. This is skill that does not come naturally and needs to be practiced. Being exposed to it now will only be beneficial in the long run. 

1. I have completed many literature searches and reviews. 

2. ​​I am helping write a manuscript; I am focusing on the introduction. 

3. I have helped write and edit protocols. 

Future Career Goals 

After I graduate undergraduate, I plan to attend medical school. I am certain of this goal, however, I am not confident in what type of physician I would like to become. I am most interested in pediatric anesthesiology though. When I was 9 years old, I had to have a procedure done, and I was really nervous for it. My anesthesiologist was the one who was able to calm me down by explaining to me what was going to happen after I fall asleep. I have known since then that I want to go into pediatrics. I have developed a love for science and medicine, so medical school seems like the right fit for me. 

This internship focuses on the research side of healthcare. It has confirmed my feelings that I want to be mostly involved in clinical work; however, I understand that research will always be a part of my profession. I value the knowledge and experience that I have gained. I have learned the entire process of developing a clinical study to analyzing the results. However, this field of medicine is not one that I want to work in. The focus of the research is psychology based, and I have become more interested in this field through the internship. I never consider that field when making future career plans, but I do now. I feel more confident to make future career decisions for myself.

The following questions were asked on the application for the internship program:

LHSI has required assignments and activities such as an ePortfolio to document your growth, assignments to support your learning and plan for what's next, and workshops to build community with the other interns. What would you like to gain from participating in these program requirements? This question is not about your work at the individual internship sites, it is only about the LHSI program requirements.

In my application, I discussed how diver deeper and reflecting on your actions are how you learn from them. I predicted that the assignments would help me to stay focused and motivated. I also touched on the workshops for networking and learning from other interns. My views on the assignments have not changed at all. I use them to reflect on what I am doing and learning at my site. It is also a way to track my progress to look back on in the future. 

What are your goals for after graduation? How will this internship program fit into your plan to explore, confirm, or reach your goals?

I am currently working toward my Bachelor of Science in Biology at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. I plan to attend medical school to earn my Doctor of Medicine. In my application, I mentioned that I plan to go into anesthesiology. My views on that have changed since then, and now I am exploring all of the different paths a physician can take. Prior to this internship, I had no research experience. To be accepted into medical school, research experience is imperative. At the time, I did not want to work in wet-lab research but rather clinical research. I learned that I do not really enjoy clinical research, but without this internship I would not have learned that. This internship did introduce me to the field of psychology, and it is now a field I would like to learn more about and shadow in. 

What other experiences are you considering over the next few years to explore career options and gain transferable skills? How will these experiences contribute to your long-term goals?

I mentioned in my application that I wanted to work as a patient care technician at Riley Hospital for Children. I have now been doing so for a little less than a year. It has been the most amazing experience. I absolutely love the patient interaction. I think that bedside manner is such an important skill for physicians, and it is often overlooked. There is a heavy focus on research experience for medical school but not patient-care. I feel like physicians need to understand the nursing side of patient care in order to best treat patients. The nursing staff is with the patient much more than the physican team, so they often know more about the patient. Learning about their job can help a future physician develop a respect for all the nursing staff does for their patients. This summer and the following school year, I will be working in a research lab with the IU School of Medicine focusing on why men are more prone to Type II Diabetes than females. They use mice as test subjects. This will give me wet-lab experience and allow me to participate in researching a pressing question in the world.