My medical internship at the University of Maryland Hospital, hosted by the phenomenal Obstetrics Gynecologist, Dr. Courtney Townsel, has been a life-changing experience that I will carry with me forever. Shadowing Dr. Townsel helped me develop two important life lessons: having undying passion and the discipline to execute my goals. She demonstrated these qualities throughout my internship. Firstly, observing Dr. Townsel and the resident doctors helped me develop a strong sense of passion.
For the past four going on five weeks, she attended to her high-risk patients with unwavering dedication. She would interview the pregnant mothers after the resident doctors took their vital signs and gave her the report. Then she would proceed to understand the psychological aspect of her patients’ lives, asking about their day-to-day experiences to better advise and prescribe the best medications for their needs. She reinforced the impact of their habits in a non-judgmental way, educating the mothers on how to cut out harmful behaviors. She also warned about extreme conditions that could arise from opioid exposure during pregnancy, such as severe Neonatal Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS), Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR), delayed growth, and bilobed placenta. Dr. Townsel, with her unwavering passion for women’s health, also conducts clinical research to highlight the critical impact of opioid exposure. Dr. Townsel granted me the opportunity to work with her team members, Ms. Fateemah Biroon, a doctor in her native country of Iran, and researcher and aspiring medical school student, Makeda. We researched placenta block samples and looked for abnormalities related to opioid use, because it helps determine delays in fetus growth.
Aside from her undying passion, which I aim to replicate during my medical journey, Dr. Townsel is also a highly disciplined individual who understands the need to balance family care and helping others. One way she demonstrates this is by waking up early in the morning to exercise at 5:00 am and getting her children ready for school. She also prepares herself for work. This shows her commitment to motherhood, ensuring her children are well taken care of. As humans, we deal with many stressors from work, family, mental, and social pressures, but we must carry out our responsibilities at all costs. Dr. Townsel exemplifies this by managing her duties at home and being a dedicated doctor. Throughout my weeks of observing her, she made sure her high-risk patients were well taken care of, maneuvering between the Penn Clinic and the labor and delivery unit, giving the right advice, and confirming that patients were well tended to. Dr. Townsel’s commitment to duty as a mother and medical doctor highlights the importance of discipline in achieving one’s tasks and goals. As an aspiring doctor and future father, I aim to handle these responsibilities well because I do not want to be seen as a parent who has no time for his children.
Overall, this internship experience taught me two lessons that I will execute properly throughout my journey of becoming a medical doctor. First, I have an undying passion for my dream specialty of becoming an endocrinologist, not just for the money. Second, I will have the discipline to be a good family man and make hard decisions for the betterment of my future patients.