Choiwing Yeung ’19, Cilly Geranios ’19, Hana Lindsey ’20, and Joana Mora ’18 saw first-hand the daily tasks of a medical resident, with shifts beginning at 7 a.m. and going until 5 p.m. Each day began with morning report where all the medical residents would gather to listen to lectures and even play medical jeopardy. Afterwards, each student would meet with a different medical resident and shadow them for the day.
Throughout the five-day program, the students observed residents perform their rotations in various departments such as internal medicine, obstetrics, family medicine, geriatrics, rheumatology, behavioral health and pediatrics. Choiwing Yeung ’19 noted, “ I learned that doctors wear many hats every day and serve as counselors, healers, teachers, leaders, team players, and lifelong students,” and she said, “the dynamic nature of the job is what appeals to me.”
The Hamilton students are currently completing pre-med required classes with sights set on attending medical school sometime in the future. Having the opportunity to speak with the residents one-on-one was helpful because, as Cilly Geranios ’19 said, “you could get insight into the application process and how you might want to approach medical school”. The residents gave helpful advice on studying for the MCAT as well as different ways to enter into the medical health profession.
During the course of each day, the medical residents would describe their path in becoming a physician to the students. Hana Lindsey ’20 remarked, “I didn’t realize how many options there were for medical school.” The medical residents went to different types of medical schools to become either a medical doctor (M.D.) or doctor of osteopathic medicine (D.O.) The residents attended medical schools in various locations s in the United States as well as in other countries.
Even though the students returned home exhausted at the end of each shift, they all agreed that this program gave them a greater insight into the types of difficulties and rewards that come from being a medical professional as well as the dedication required by physicians beyond attending medical school.
