Checking back in after a relaxing yet productive summer!
As an engineering student at a world-class institution, I initially felt obligated to apply to internships after seeing my peers do the same, however, I instead worked as a medical scribe back on Maui! To be honest, this decision was influenced by my desire to gain clinical exposure and to spend a few months in the comfort of my own home. While that may seem unconventional as a student studying mechanical engineering, I am here to explain how it benefited me in my career outlook and academic outlook as an undergraduate.
My ultimate career goal is to become a physician, so I wanted to use this summer to gain real, clinical exposure to the health field to truly see if this is the path I’d like to go down. As a medical scribe, I was able to gain exposure in the emergency room—a high-stakes environment filled with quick and timely decision making—which allowed me to come to a variety of realizations.
My Takeaways
First and foremost, I see myself pursuing a career in healthcare. The leadership, problem-solving, and learning that occur within a patient setting are both fulfilling and challenging. Although I was simply scribing the interaction, I learned so much about how doctors think, assess, and execute a plan. But, my experiences made me even more eager to obtain my degree in engineering as a strong foundation of the aforementioned problem-solving and leadership skills, as well as an added quiver of practical knowledge and engineering excellence. USC provides the proper resources and faculty to achieve this!
I realized that engineering and medicine have parallels in more ways than one. As engineers, we use our expertise to devise plans, collaborate, and lead to accomplish increased efficiency, efficacy, or innovation. While engineers do that with technical engineering knowledge on a much more widespread scale, doctors do the same with knowledge of physiology, biology, and other pertinent subjects with patients. I have a newfound passion to explore the capabilities and breakthroughs of biomedical engineering and hope to participate in this type of ground-breaking research at USC this semester. I am eager to apply classroom knowledge and training to practical solutions and settings. After being immersed in a setting with a variety of patients, I will be able to keep user-experience in mind as I continue my engineering journey.
Me before my first day of work!
The moral of the story: There is no “set” plan everyone must follow to have a successful summer! This doesn’t mean summer should be unproductive, though. Use it to explore your passions—like I did—to help truly decide the career you want to pursue. I learned perseverance during my 10 hour shifts, professionalism, and gained a surplus of new knowledge that solidified my decision to continue down the path I am taking. These skills will be beneficial as an engineer too! I also used my free time to brush up on my CAD skills and preview the upcoming classes this semester. I even traveled to Japan, shadowed doctors, swam in a variety of waterfalls, and surfed my heart out. Even after being productive, I feel incredibly well-rested, which, in my eyes, is what summer is for too. Now, the fall semester is just around the corner, and I’m excited to hit the books! See you on campus! Fight On!
