Importance Of Summer Internship In Medicine

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Ever since I can remember I have wanted to be a doctor. This summer, through Yeshiva University, I had the unique opportunity of participating in the Summer Internship Program at Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, New Jersey. Over the course of four weeks, along with three other students, we observed and communicated with esteemed physicians and staff from a full range of medical specialties. Endoscopies, imaging techniques, ER, surgery, pathology labs and ICU’s – were among the many areas of medicine we got to discover and learn about first-hand. The uniqueness of this program was that our schedule was not only intensive, but also flexible and accommodating to our interests. I am fascinated by surgery and therefore got to …show more content…

The patient would simply input his problem; the doctor would go through the data in his mind and then offer the solution. Sometimes the doctor would have to draw blood or prescribe an MRI, but ultimately he would offer a solution. J. Groopman, in How Doctors Think, refers to this process as clinical algorithm. Up until now I had viewed medicine as an exact science. True, science didn’t have all the answers and as a result, sometimes people would die, but as for medicine itself – in my eyes it was …show more content…

Physicians have to create an atmosphere that will engage their patients to an open and fluid dialogue. From dialogue doctors get clues, which lead to a more accurate diagnosis. It’s more than just making patients feel comfortable; it’s about being empathetic and showing you genuinely care about their problem. From what I’ve seen, every doctor has his own way of doing this. One doctor may use humor; another may use personal anecdotes. I admired the gastroenterologist who portrayed the perfect amount of professionalism and humor while communicating with his patients. His patients seemed to feel very comfortable and really opened up. I learned that when patients talk, doctors have to listen attentively to their use of language and tone of voice while at the same time pay attention to their body

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