Summer Internship Program Provides Real-World Medical Experience
By Matthew Kramer, MD, medical staff president, Miami Valley Hospital
The Summer Student Internship Program (MVH-SSIP) held its closing session on July 23 in Bieser Auditorium, capping a highly successful seven-week program. Ten college students, between their sophomore and junior years of study and with an expressed interest in medicine or surgery careers, attended the program and gained real-world medical experience while shadowing physician preceptors at Miami Valley Hospital.
Students were selected by a committee of blinded evaluators, from a pool of more than two dozen highly qualified applicants with stellar academic records, volunteer involvement, and strong letters of reference. Applicants wrote essays indicating their areas of interest and were paired with physician preceptors with similar interests. Students had the opportunity to perform research with their preceptors, and several students wrote their research projects for publication.
On student Presentation Day, students reported on their experiences and research they performed at Miami Valley Hospital. Reports reflected many fields of medical and surgical care, with topics as widely varied as orthopedic fracture repair; trauma care; patient demographic research; intraoperative fluid management; the necessity of blood tests in psychiatric patients; and the humanistic aspects of hospitalist care. Students also offered testimonials related to their experience, including written statements such as:
“Through this internship program, I feel that I have gained not only medical knowledge, but also empathy and compassion for the patients that I will serve in the future. It was impactful to see so many different physicians be genuinely invested in the health and well being of the patients. I am greatly inspired to become a thorough and empathetic physician.”
“Being a premed intern gave me great opportunities to ask questions, build relationships, and gain a better understanding of the process to becoming a physician. I am very thankful for the time I was able to spend in the hospital and clinics, meeting and learning from so many healthcare workers.”
“The program gave me invaluable experiences and helped to guide me in my journey toward becoming a part of the medical field .”
Special thanks are due to the physician preceptors who donated their time and hard work to making the program a success, and to Mike Uhl, president of Miami Valley Hospital; Jennifer Hauler, DO, chief operating officer at Miami Valley Hospital; Marc Belcastro, DO, system chief medical officer at Premier Health; and Roberto Colòn, MD, chief medical officer at Miami Valley Hospital for their administrative support. Finally, a special thank you is due to Teresa Spanel , internship program administrator, for her tireless work on the program.
Back to the August 2021 issue of Premier Pulse
