The Gilstrap Summer Research Program is an amazing opportunity to immerse yourself in the field of medicine. The amount of time spent with physicians, medical students, and residents show you exactly what your future career will look like. You get to see firsthand the hard work and dedication needed to work in healthcare. We were able to shadow numerous subspecialities ranging from Gynecologic Oncology, private OB clinics, maternal-fetal medicine, labor & delivery, and fetal intervention.
The most special part of this internship for me was the ability to scrub into procedures. I was able to go through the steps of preparing for surgery and be close to the doctor as the procedure occurred. This experience showed me the passion I have towards surgical specialties. Moreover, the ability to interact with patients and help when I was able really gave me a great enthusiasm for the medical field. This internship solidified my passion for medicine.
I believe seeing how the physicians handled patient interactions across the subspecialities was important. All of the physicians were incredibly compassionate and empathetic toward their patients. However, the tone and body language were much different depending on if it was labor & delivery to oncology to fetal surgery. It was through these shadowing interactions I saw how important communication with patients are. I was able to sit in on conversations with physicians and patients regarding the loss of a baby all the way to viewing the birth of a child. I saw the highs and lows that come with this field and that was crucial to me.
This experience gives you the ability to be a part of high-risk procedures and interact with some of the best doctors in the world. I felt extremely blessed and thankful to have this opportunity. One of my favorite days was shadowing Dr. Papanna who pioneered the fetoscopic spina bifida repair surgery. During this day I was able to see procedures that were performed in utero. There were days throughout this experience where I felt in awe of the opportunity to be close to some of the most advanced medical treatments in the world.
The experiences I have accumulated from this internship are unlike any other I have had before. I am so thankful to Wabash for giving me this opportunity. I especially would like to thank Jill Rogers and Dr. Wetzel with the GHI for all the opportunities they give us as students, it is truly appreciated. I would also like to thank Dr. Blackwell for taking us under his wing in Houston and giving us this incredible experience.
