What I liked
This summer, I had the incredible honor of taking part in Hawai’i Pacific Health’s 6-week Health Careers Summer Internship in the Child Life Department at Kapi’olani Medical Center for Women and Children. I loved my 6-weeks there so much that I elected to continue my work with Child Life as a volunteer for the last few weeks of summer after the internship ended. Within Child Life, I was expected to independently manage the playroom where pediatric patients can play or do activities, assist with programs like Brain Station—our in-hospital version of school for ages 5-18, and jump in to help with a variety of other projects in an effort to improve the hospital experience for patients and their families. Throughout my internship, I was also able to shadow various departments and gain first-hand insights in fields such as the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Wound & Ostomy, Pediatric Medical/Surgical Care, Child Life, Nursing, Speech Therapy, and Emergency Care. As a medical school hopeful, this kind of hands-on experience was invaluable to my practical understanding of the medical field.
