I feel very successful in completing eligibility screenings as well as when I go to recruit research participants at Eskenazi hospital. It makes me feel like I am actually involved in recruiting individuals as well as obtaining data. Eligibility screenings require me to contact potential participants, find a time that works for them for a 20 minute phone call, and then fill out the eligibility screening form to see if they would be a good fit for our research study. When I recruit at Eskenazi hospital, I am able to see the patient calendar, determine who might be eligible for the study, and ask them to fill out a research survey determining if they have received any mental health resources from their OB-GYN during their pregnancy. These successes were mostly due to strong communication between me and my supervisors.
The most challenging aspect of the internship came when our research got put on hold by Eskenazi. It was very hard to stay motivated because there were not many tasks for me to complete. To minimize this challenge as much as possible, I reached out to my supervisors whenever I did not have much to do and asked them what tasks I could complete. Another challenging part of the internship is trying to find participants who are actively interested in participating in our study. Many leave their contact information but are then not willing to answer any calls or messages. Sometimes it is challenging to stay busy when this occurs frequently.