Weeks 1-5
Week 1
Week one overall was extremely interesting despite it being the shortest of the four weeks. A question I kept in mind was the atmosphere and the culture in the lab. The staff are extremely kind and love a good chit-chat, they'll speak about their plans for the week, make plans for the weekend, family life, or just talk about the cafeteria food on top of grossing organs/tumors/masses (etc). Everyone works well together and if someone gets stuck on something they'll ask someone else for assistance or just another set of eyes. The PAs/PLAs are always so willing to explain something I don't understand and I appreciate them taking time to talk about their work. The way everyone here works so well with each other reminds me of the atmosphere in my classes and it's comforting being around people who remind me of my peers.
(The image shown is from week one and is a sample of a polyp taken from a uterus)
(The image shown is from week one and is a sample of a polyp taken from a uterus)
Week 2
Working here is honestly very wonderful, they'll have me do certain tasks, they're very simple and pretty fun when you get in the groove. I will say one thing that definitely suprised me though was the atmosphere while working. People will drop off fresh/frozen specimens, making cassettes and loading them up to ship them off to other sites, looking at amputations/organs, then in the background you'll hear a wide range of musical genres. Artists commonly heard are Frank Sinatra, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Kpop songs, Brittney Spears - a wide range of music picked by our lovely dj's. (FG and Roxana)
My project is to show how we aren't prepared enough when it comes to going into Pathology as well as shedding light onto an important field of work (General Pathology). I want to show actual examples I've taken from working here and show others that you can never be fully prepared when working in an environment like this.
(The image shown is of the snack cart and it usually has more stuff but this was taken on a Friday)
My project is to show how we aren't prepared enough when it comes to going into Pathology as well as shedding light onto an important field of work (General Pathology). I want to show actual examples I've taken from working here and show others that you can never be fully prepared when working in an environment like this.
(The image shown is of the snack cart and it usually has more stuff but this was taken on a Friday)
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Week 3
(Here is a Polycystic kidney I saw while at the site - it's quite larger, cancerous, but still somewhat functional.)
I enjoy speaking with the staff in pathology and the topics each day are very broad. We'll talk about celebrity scandals, what the lunch is in the cafeteria, upcoming rainstorms and commute schedules (etc.). The small chit-chats are very enjoyable and make the lab very lively considering the specimens being grossed are a bit graphic. I feel I've built a sort of bond with everyone and I honestly really enjoy coming in and speaking to everyone even if the conversations can be short at times.
I enjoy speaking with the staff in pathology and the topics each day are very broad. We'll talk about celebrity scandals, what the lunch is in the cafeteria, upcoming rainstorms and commute schedules (etc.). The small chit-chats are very enjoyable and make the lab very lively considering the specimens being grossed are a bit graphic. I feel I've built a sort of bond with everyone and I honestly really enjoy coming in and speaking to everyone even if the conversations can be short at times.
Week 4
For anybody who would like to go into my field specifically, one thing I'd say is that you will never be fully prepared for what you're going to see while on site. The first week was one of the most eventful weeks for me and I saw a wide range of specimens. Above-the-knee amputations, hearts, uteruses (cancerous and not). It can be overwhelming for some when working in the lab and I don't think you'll ever be able to mentally prepare ahead of time for what you'll actually see. So my advice is to just calm and expect anything and everything.
What I've been forgetting occasionally is that since I'm still a minor in high school, there are still many things I'm not allowed to do because of legality reasons which can be a bit disappointing at times. But I'm always happy to participate in whatever they have to offer me, simple tasks like unloading the cooler or cutting papers for cassettes. Any opportunity I have, I'm willing to jump in and assist. I've enjoyed my month here and had fun working in the lab, even if my actions are limited.
What I've been forgetting occasionally is that since I'm still a minor in high school, there are still many things I'm not allowed to do because of legality reasons which can be a bit disappointing at times. But I'm always happy to participate in whatever they have to offer me, simple tasks like unloading the cooler or cutting papers for cassettes. Any opportunity I have, I'm willing to jump in and assist. I've enjoyed my month here and had fun working in the lab, even if my actions are limited.
Final Week
This is the last week of internship and I'll be heading back to school on the 12th along with everyone else. The internship was a wonderful experience I wouldn't have gotten to do this anywhere else and I'm very proud to have done the internship myself. I am sad that I won't be seeing everyone at the lab anymore as I did enjoy the time spent with everyone. I will say that I am very excited to see all of my peers back at school, so that's a plus, but it'll be a bit difficult to get back onto my school schedule again.
