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Blog #8 - Final Reflection

Hey everyone! 

I just wanted to start off this final reflection by thanking my mentors, Dr. Hoffer, Dr. Cha, Dr. Kaur, and Dr. Sangani (and Dr. Bencsath for day ten) for allowing me to follow them around the hospital and going out of their way to showcase a raw medical experience to a high school senior. The amount of support I received from the countless physicians and nurses I met along the way to pursue biology and medicine as an undergraduate next year was staggering.

Looking back to my initial blog, I said that “the best way to discover if something is right for you is to try and experience it yourself,” referring to a potential pre-med path in college. I didn’t know any plans or schedules for the next few weeks when I wrote that comment. I assumed I would only be a “fly-on-the-wall,” lucky to view a procedure or patient visit exteriorly. Luckily, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Dr. Hoffer and Dr. Cha pulled me to their side during their operations. They allowed me to watch their surgeries, from ninety-minute ventriculoperitoneal shunt placements to five-hour gastric bypasses directly above the patient. In each clinical visit or round with Dr. Kaur and Dr. Sangani, I stood or sat next to the patients when they were giving their histories. The authenticity of my experience helped me feel better about starting the notoriously long pre-med journey. Again, I will forever be grateful for the physicians and nurses that welcomed me to their job firsthand.

Given the circumstances, it is hard to find anything lacking about the project. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with each physician.

My advice to future seniors is simple and cliche: the early bird gets the worm. You’ll find that your senior year flies by, so make sure that you reach out to mentors well ahead of the Canvas deadline. The more time you spend conversing with the organization and mentor, the more nuanced and well-crafted the project will ultimately be.

Overall, I am glad the project went as well as it did. These last fifteen days and my mentor’s support have pushed me to begin a pre-med path next year and further strive for surgery as a career. I don’t enjoy thinking in black and white, so while surgery is my goal, life has a unique way of morphing plans into unexpected opportunities. I’m ready for the ride.

 

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