This summer, I was fortunate to spend seven weeks in Houston at McGovern Medical Center, rotating through different subspecialties of the gynecology department. This experience taught me a couple of new things about myself and my calling to become a physician. At my arrival, I was faced with the fact that I would be spending seven weeks a long way from home, including my family and closest friends. This was a difficult adjustment, but luckily, I was joined by other Wabash students who I have come to call friends. Additionally, I was under the impression that surgery wasn’t something I was interested in doing frequently, but after observing C-sections and robotic hysterectomies, I became curious about how this skill may fit into my long-term professional goals. Although I was only an observer, I began to feel a sense of belonging in the operating room and alongside the medical teams. Two strategies for success I carried away from this internship included getting at least six hours of sleep before going into the OR, and arriving at new destinations fifteen minutes early in case I get lost. Finally, I also learned how to meet and work with new people and quickly acclimatize in the different rotations.
There were several highlights of my time in Houston that I am grateful for. In my oncology rotation, I was able to scrub in to surgery for the first time. Although I passed out, I am thankful to Dr. Siller and his team for helping me adjust to the OR and taking care of me, even when I was not his patient. Additionally, I was able to attend a course in robotic laparoscopy alongside residents and work with surgical tools to pull a cow tongue through a tiny mock incision. Throughout the internship, I was exposed to both C-sections and natural births. The opportunity to watch the miracle of life is something that I will never forget. Finally, I want to thank Dr. Ashimi and Dr. Blackwell for organizing the program and taking care of us while we were there. This exposure to a diverse array of medical specialties and the hospital system meant a lot to me and will benefit me in my future career.
