This summer, I had the opportunity to complete an internship with the Montgomery County Health Department, where I gained a much broader understanding of public health and the many responsibilities involved in protecting a community.
Throughout the internship, I observed and participated in a wide variety of public health activities, including home, septic, food truck, and restaurant inspections, water testing, mosquito control, vaccination programs, public medicine initiatives, birth and death
record management, and emergency response efforts.
One of the most impactful parts of my internship was spending a week with Mobile Integrated Health. Here, semi-retired EMTs and firefighters have dramatically reduced hospital readmissions while improving patients’ quality of life through programs that help older adults make their homes safer through fall prevention measures and services for new and expecting mothers that include health assessments, education, parenting support and more.
Another meaningful experience was attending a suicide-prevention conference, where I served as a scribe for a case review. Representatives from EMS, the fire department, mental health organizations, and other community leaders worked together to analyze a suicide case and identify opportunities for earlier intervention and improved community support. Witnessing this collaborative approach highlighted the importance of communication and prevention in healthcare.
Throughout the summer, any time not spent observing was dedicated to research and community outreach. I created flyers and social media posts to educate the public about the health department’s services and raise awareness of important public health
topics. I also wrote a published article on men’s mental health during Men’s Health Awareness Month. Finally, I had experience taking vitals on both adults and infants and became CPR certified.
Overall, this internship strengthened my desire to become a physician by showing me that excellent healthcare extends far beyond diagnosing and treating disease. It requires understanding the social, environmental, and community factors that shape a person’s health. This experience gave me a deeper appreciation for preventative medicine and compassionate patient care, both of which I hope to carry with me throughout my future career as a doctor.
Thank you to those who made this internship possible and for helping me experience more of the health field. It is because of experiences like this that I have the ambition to study science and medicine. Finally, thank you to my supervisors and those at Mobile Integrated Health who both taught me and showed me so much throughout my summer.
