I am a 2024 AnnieRuth award recipient with a career aspiration of being a physician’s assistant and following that a physician. Through this program, my aspiration has changed to solely becoming a physician.
I completed my internship experience at several AnnieRuth events, UF Health North in their emergency department, St. Vincents Riverside, and St. Vincents by Edgewood. In my first week, we took a tour of Mayo Clinic, where we were able to view much of their equipment and procedures such as how they model injuries for practice. Since we ended early, I was able to review the anatomy table and look through every type of scan it had. It also led to me connecting with cancer researcher, Al, who connected me with college counselor, Dr. Snowden, who has been a huge help going out of her way to provide her services free of charge. Following that, I learned CPR and basic life support measures like rescue breaths with the Florida Training Academy. On Wednesday of that week, we met with Dr. Bennett, who showed us her path toward becoming a doctor. After that week, I spent 3 weeks volunteering at UF Health North and continue to do so on Monday’s. Me and my partner restocked all the rooms in the ER and the IV carts, were able to interact with patients, were mentored by nurses, and were given $11 meal cards. Following the end of the 3 weeks, I was able to shadow Dr. Jones at St. Vincents, where I was able to view and interact with patients with breast cancer, hernias, gallbladder stones, and more. These experiences opened my eyes to how a career in healthcare truly is.
Participating in the AnnieRuth Foundation internship program was instrumental to preparing me for a successful future as it has provided me many opportunities to meet with doctors, nurses, and other professionals in the medical field personally. In addition to their teachings and support, they have provided letters of recommendation for future use. This program will greatly help my chances of getting accepted into the University of Florida.