Daundre Barnaby: Hospital Internship Analysis

On March 27, 2015, Facebook and Twitter were filled with the message “Daundre Barnaby, An Olympic Sprinter from Weaver, Drowns.” When I first read this message, my heart was crushed. I was hoping it was a mistake. Daundre, my dear friend, was swimming in the Atlantic Ocean and was swept out to sea by a strong current. It was hard to control my emotions and tears. I was consumed with anger, frustration, and remorse, and at that moment I knew my life would never be the same. Daundre was a local hero who accomplished the goals that he set forth for himself including representing Canada in the 2012 London Olympics and the 2014 Commonwealth Games. He taught me to believe in my dreams, and have faith. When Daundre died this took a toll on my life, …show more content…
I developed a burning desire to do more, and to help more. Therefore, this influenced my decision to do an internship in a hospital in Hungary. During my internship, I was impressed by the spirit of collaboration between the community and the physicians, and I was exposed to some of the responsibilities of a doctor. From this I learned the necessity of humanity in a physician. Throughout this internship experience, I learned anatomical principles and dissection techniques such as ways to hold the dissecting instruments with great precision and to manipulate scissors with the thumb and fourth fingers, as surgeons do. I was able to see inside the inner working of the body, and I observed something intensely personal about surgery. The surgeon’s hands in the patient’s body, caressing the organs with care as they use their fingers to break apart layers of the skin. I learned that in order to be a great surgeon, one has to learn to separate their emotional self from their scientific self in order to provide surgical treatment. The organized chaos, the residents, the smell of burning flesh in the operating room, and the scent of the hospital have become an integral part of a new chapter in my life. Hence, I will never forget the feeling of complete gratification after a long day of observing surgeons, using my talents for the betterment of others, and witnessing the physician’s …show more content…
This experience also helped shape my attitude towards the work I did in Dr. Pole’s psychology research lab. In the search for an effective treatment for PTSD, the work was tedious, the projects progressed very slowly, and required enormous commitment. Many students felt that the projects required too much effort and time due to countless data entry and behavioral coding. However, my track and field training and the challenges I encountered taught me persistence. I realized that similar to running, progress in research plateaus before the outcome is reached. I also know that the more hard work I invest, the more thrilling and gratifying are the later rewards. With that in mind, I gained proficiency in various organizational and administrative tasks, and developed experience in research data consolidation and management skills. I also developed a reputation as someone who learns quickly, works diligently, dedicated, enthusiastic, and respect patient confidentiality. This research experience helped me to mature as a scientist and have given me some insight into what is necessary to succeed as medical researcher. From this research I realized that physicians and research scientists share similar roles that involve solving current and future health issues. By the end of the summer, I was able to present along with my