I cannot believe that my time here at the Rodham Institute is over, these past six weeks have flown by and I am sad to leave DC. My last week here was super busy as I spent the majority of the week with kids who are a part of the Health Education Leadership Program (HELP) that the Rodham Institute puts on year round for inner city kids to be exposed to health careers. The program has a week where the kids are put in a camp where they talk about leadership and teamwork within the hospital. On Monday, however I went to the OR again to watch another surgery. It was such an amazing experience and I am so grateful for the doctor who helped me get into the operating room. The patient was having a lymph node removed from her aortic arch. They took the node so they could see what stage of cancer she had to determine her treatment plan. The time that Ive spent in the OR has been so amazing and I honestly want to learn so much more about surgery and the human body. That afternoon something spectacular happened, I met Hilary Clinton! Dr. El-Bayoumi is treating her brother in the hospital and she was there visiting him so she asked Secretary Clinton to stop by and say hello. It was without a doubt a day to remember and I am so so grateful for that experience.
Tuesday and Wednesday were spent advising the HELP kids on a project that they worked on about teamwork. There were four groups and we each got a section of people in the hospital, for example, my group got the logistics team. The kids had to find 10 people who worked in logistics in the hospital and research all about what education they need, the salary they make, their day to day activities and what other teams they work with in the hospital. They had to make a poster and present it in front of all of the other kids and staff. The project was to show them that everyone in the hospital is important and that they all work in teams together.
On Thursday I went to a different hospital in DC to shadow a nurse in the critical care unit, I set this up on my own from a family friend who works at that hospital. It was really amazing to see a different side to medicine, yet again. It opened my eyes to another pathway into health care and medicine. I am so happy that I got to see that side of it and I want to learn so much more. That afternoon the HELP kids presented their projects and it was really awesome to see them come together to learn more about the health careers and the different sides of working in a hospital.
My last day was spent in the hospital auditorium where we were all able to watch a thoracic surgery where a doctor took a mass off of a patients lung for biopsy testing. The kids were able to learn all about surgery and the different aspects that go into an operation. It was really awesome to see how exposed they got and how much they learned. That afternoon we all went to a bowling alley where we all celebrated the HELP program and the kids hard work in the past week.
Friday night my aunt, cousin and I went down to the national mall to have a picnic dinner and it was the perfect way to end my time her in DC. Saturday was spent packing and on Sunday I drove home to Ridgway and was reunited with my dog and parents.
I want to take a moment to thank everyone at the Rodham Institute for everything they have done and taught me in the past six weeks. I cannot even begin to describe how much I’ve learned while I was here. Not only has this internship opened my eyes to the health field more but, surprisingly it has showed me that there are so many different kinds of ways to get involved in the health profession. There have also been other experiences that I haven’t been interested in and I think thats super important in life. Regardless I want to thank Dr. El-Bayoumi for this experience along with Sarah giving me this opportunity. I cannot even begin to express my gratitude to all the amazing people who have helped me get here.
Although I am very glad to be back home in the mountains and the cool air, I am very sad to leave my family and DC. Ive really grown to like the city and am proud of myself for figuring out how to transport myself and get around the city. This has been a super eye opening experience for me and I will cherish the memories forever.
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