My Medical Field Experience

One activity that has meant the most to me was my summer internship at WakeMed Cary Hospital in the Emergency Department. During my internship, I shadowed physician assistants in the Emergency Department, helped and shadowed the Stroke and Heart Failure Coordinator, helped the nurses and nurse aides in the Clinical Evaluation Area and Emergency Department, rounded in the departments, and observed cases in the Cath Lab. While shadowing physician assistants, I was able to observe various patient cases and learn more about the career. I learned more about patient care and the dynamic in the emergency department. This experience reinforced my desire to become an emergency medicine physician assistant. While shadowing the Stroke and Heart Failure Coordinator, I was able to organize stroke education materials for both patients and staff, observe stroke and heart failure patients, and assist the coordinator with data collection. I learned a lot about strokes through my experience and how important it is to educate both staff and patients about strokes and heart failure. …show more content…
While working in the Clinical Evaluation Area, I rounded in patient rooms and assisted the nurses and nurse aides when needed. I learned a lot about patient care and the functionality of a different patient area. Also, it taught me a lot about the scope of practice and role of both nurses and nurse aides. Lastly, I observed cases in the Cath Lab. While in the Cath Lab, I was able to witness a transesophageal echocardiogram performed along with the insertion of an implantable cardioverter defibrillator. My experiences in the Cath Lab taught me a lot about the different procedures performed in this area of medicine. Overall, the internship experience taught me a lot about the medical field and medical