It is now the middle of my internship, and things have really moved along! In the past few weeks, I have finished my practice files, taken a Gold Standard test, and moved on to scoring patient files.
These files are polysomnogram recordings taken when a patient sleeps overnight in the Mayo Clinic sleep lab. Each polysomnogram records eye movement, brainwaves, and muscle movement in the arms, legs, and chin. We go through and mark any markers of REM sleep without atonia (RSWA).
We first had to start with practice files, which are real files completely de-identified and approved for our practice. Here, we learn how to score and what counts as a marker of RSWA. Then, when we are ready, we take the Gold Standard test, which is a special set of scoring that tests if we score the same as physicians. After that, we can move on to research studies and patient files.
I actually got to apply an electroencephalogram (EEG) to Moodi, the other Cornell intern! Here is me applying a conductive gel while he wears the EEG cap. We then got to read his EEG, which showed his brainwaves. The EEG is how we record brain waves in a polysomnogram.Our research projects include a large multi-center study called NAPS and a smaller epidemiology study in Olmsted County. A usual day can include journal clubs, shadowing Dr. St. Louis and other physicians, scoring files for the research projects, and attending Neurology and Grand Rounds. Neurology Rounds and Grand Rounds are educational medical presentations, where a physician presents on a medical problem and/or treatment. Cornell prepared me very well for the fast-paced learning associated with this environment and Mayo Clinic in general.
Coming into this summer, I was unsure what I wanted to do after college. Now, with this experience, I am sure that I want to be a physician. Being able to be in a medical environment like Mayo Clinic, where there is incredible professionalism and excellence in every part of patient care, has inspired me to pursue a career in the medical field. The opportunities I have had to shadow physicians have solidified my goals of becoming a medical doctor, and the breakthrough research coming from Mayo has inspired me to be open to a career path that includes research.
On Thursdays, there is something called “Thursdays Downtown,” where some streets near the main Mayo campus are closed down and there is music, food, and other vendors.
Here are some tacos I got on my first Thursday Downtown. They were delicious!
Here are some korean tacos I got at Thursdays Downtown another week, delicious as well.Outside of my internship, I have enjoyed being in Rochester very much. It is a very safe and beautiful city. I spend my time biking by the river, volunteering at the local homeless shelter, and being with family and friends. At the homeless shelter, I have had the opportunity to make professional connections as well! It turns out some of the other volunteers are Mayo Clinic employees!
It is great getting to know the other interns, and we even had a little get together this weekend. It was Moodi’s birthday as well, so we had cake!