This blog post was written by Shelly Sharma, a junior in CCAS studying Psychology with a concentration in cognitive neuroscience. Shelly is also pursuing the pre-health track.
As the summer of 2015 was quickly approaching and it occurred to me I had no definite summer plans, I quickly began perusing the interwebs to find either an internship or something medical related to do during the summer. After constantly finding about programs where the application deadline had passed, I finally found the RWJ Summer Clinical Internship Program (SCIP.) I knew I had to apply to the program right away for two reasons: 1. The deadline had not passed yet and 2. It was in NJ, close by my house, so I did not have to worry about finding housing for the summer! After filling out a quick application, asking professors for recommendations, and waiting frantically for a decision, I heard back and was accepted into the program. Going into the SCIP Program, I had absolutely no idea what to expect and how this would be one of the most pivotal moments in my pre-med journey.
The doctor I was shadowing, Dr. Gupta, was trained in endovascular and vascular neurosurgery. Thus, during my six weeks, I got the opportunity to spend time in the operating room (my favorite place), the angiosuite, where endovascular neurosurgery takes place, and the clinic, where patients would come in after surgeries for a checkup. Additionally, during lunchtime, different doctors would come in and talk to the SCIP students about their specialty in a seminar series. Thus, I was not only learning about neurosurgery, but all the different fields in medicine, such as from OB-GYN, Emergency Medicine, and Pediatric Hematology and Oncology.
Dr. Gupta was an amazing doctor to shadow because he cared so much about teaching students about the wonderful field of neurosurgery. When the program first began, I was so afraid of asking Dr. Gupta or anyone else on his team questions because I did not want to sound dumb. However, the whole neurosurgery team at RWJ encouraged asking questions and maximizing learning, so once I let go of my fear, I would constantly ask questions. Many times my questions were answered by another questions. At first what was frustrating was the best learning technique ever! I was constantly thinking and working to find my own answers, well with the help of the doctors and nurses, of course! This was especially beneficial for my SCIP presentation where I had to in about five minutes explain how to treat a brain aneurysm!
Why was this such a rewarding experience?
Although I was merely a shadow, I saw such amazing procedures, met wonderful doctors and nurses, and learned that being a doctor is the career for me. There were times where I was in the operating room and unable to properly see the procedures going on, but I still learned about the procedures. The surgeons either talked through the procedure or explained what was going on afterwards. All the doctors at RWJ are committed to their patients. Even though the doctors were in a constant rush, if a patient or a member of a patient’s family ever needed to talk to the doctors, they took the time to talk to them. Seeing this everyday was how I figured out that being pre-med is the right track for me. I cannot imagine doing anything else, but coming into a hospital every day, meeting with patients, doing surgeries, and working so close with other doctors. Doctors are students for life, constantly are learning about new techniques and improvements in medicine, meeting new people, and changing the world.
Six weeks, and what felt like a thousand plus hours later (okay it may have just been about 380 hours), I have gained the clinical experience that medical schools look for, but more than anything I have found my calling in life. The journey to medical school is hard, but seeing how incredible all the doctors at RWJ are I know it is all worth it! I only wish this program lasted longer, but alas all good things must come to an end.
After being a part of SCIP, here is my advice for pre-meds:
- ASK QUESTIONS! No question is dumb. If I was not encouraged to ask questions this summer, I don’t think that the experience would have been as amazing! Shout out to the neurosurgery team at RWJ that would answer my questions during surgeries!
- Carry your phone at all times! This one is kinda weird, I know, but it is needed so that you can quickly be called to the other side of the hospital if an interesting case comes by or simply to take notes.
- That being said always, always in a clinical setting take notes! Information is constantly being thrown at you, the names of everything medical are complicated, and there is only so much that you can remember!
- Keep in touch with your mentors. Mentors are not just wonderful people for letters of recs, but they are there to answer any questions you may have about the field and can give you a glimpse into what your future may be like!
- If you are looking for clinical experience or summer internships, here is an awesome website that has a complied list of programs!
- Being pre-med is not easy, but if you are truly passionate about it, stick with it because in the end it will all be worth it!
If you have any questions about being pre-med or about my internship or are just fascinated by neurology or neurosurgery, feel free to email me at shells_sharma@gwmail.gwu.edu!!
