Here’s a hint: It’s nothing to do with a simulation or a lecture.
Medicine is up-close, hands-on, and person. In fact, most students become doctors to treat the sick, save lives, and make a difference. It’s about serving humanity.
Unfortunately, it’s hard in the US to get a good look at the more personal side of a career in medicine. Privacy and insurance laws, along with the risk of a lawsuit, keep students from getting too close to patients.
However, the situation overseas is sometimes different. If students choose to travel to gain experience before medical school, they should look for these three things:
- The ability to spend time in the gross anatomy lab working on full human cadavers.
- The opportunity to be in the operating room or observation deck viewing surgery and talking to the physicians.
- The privilege of shadowing physicians in the emergency room, clinic and office while they treat patients and perform procedures.
NSCS members have the opportunity to travel with Ultimate Med Internship this winter break. All of these experiences are included with the excursion. Find out more at www.college.theUMI.org or by watching this video: