I've been very fortunate to have two big opportunities that showcase my success in my internship site. One time that has made me feel successful as an intern is being able to work the Komen Tissue Bank donation event. I’ve worked two events so far and they have truly been such a highlight of my experience. I loved being so hands-on during this event, and watching research and the clinical side of things marry each other and come to life. This event was a big success in my eyes because I was given the duty of being a surgeon assistant. As my role, I was able to assist a radiologist in performing breast biopsies, where we collected 6-7 cores of breast tissue in over 200 donors to be stored in our biorepository and be made available to researchers for cancer research.
Another success that I've had within my internship experience is being able to have full ownership over my own project - the Mammogram Project. As part of the Mammogram Project it is my duty to retrieve mammograms and mammogram reports of donors from facilities, de-identify them, and upload them to the Komen Tissue Bank's virtual tissue bank! Given my prospective health science major in Radiology, these successes align very well with my future goals. From these successes, they have given me more experience that brings me into tune with my future career goal. It's taught me a lot about my specific field of work, and a taste of the activities that surround it.
My biggest challenge this year, in the beginning, was not being able to get in right away with the work that I presumed I would have. However, even before I voiced my opinion, my supervisors made themselves readily available and opened the door of communication for me to say what I want and what I need from them and from my internship experience. This was a huge aid to me and made me feel so comfortable at my site and around the team. This specific challenge has taught me that there are going to be times in my career where things don't go exactly how I want, or how I presume them to go. In these times, I can seek the opportunity to have open conversations with my supervisor, and inquire about the direction they see for me or want me to go in.