BY TESS REMICK ’21
As summer approaches, many Mount Holyoke students already have internships and research opportunities lined up. The following are profiles of a couple of students and their health and science - related plans.
Photo by Li Qin ’21
Natalie Burkett ’20 will be a medical scribe and pool lifeguard this summer in Massachusetts.
Natalie Burkett ’20, Biochemistry Major
What are you doing this summer?
“I got a job as a medical scribe, so I’m going to be working at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, Massachusetts. I’ll be working at their family clinic, which is inside the Benedict Building.”
How did you find out about this opportunity?
“I was doing research online, and I Googled ‘medical internships,’ and it was one of the first things that popped up. It had really good reviews. It wasn’t through the CDC (Career Development Center) — it was just me, browsing online.”
What was the application process like?
“It was really easy to apply. If you go on their website, they have a button that says ‘Apply Today.’ I just needed to put in a resume. They didn’t require a cover letter, which is really nice. Afterwards, they emailed me and gave me a time to come into Boston for an interview, and I went in. They emailed me a couple of days later saying I got the job! It was really exciting.”
Will you be getting paid?
“I will be getting paid — it’s just minimum wage, though. There’s a bunch of training, and from everything that I’ve heard, it’s like a mini med school. People say it’s not the best pay, but the experience and everything that you learn from it makes up for the money. I have another part-time job lifeguarding this summer, too.”
How long will the job last?
“I will be working all through summer. It’s 24 hours a week, I believe. Depending on how much work I have throughout the school year, I might be able to continue working there in the fall.”
Photo by Casey Pan '18
Adi Insley ’20 will be working as a student researcher at UT Southwestern in Dallas this summer.
Adi Insley ’20, Environmental Studies Major, Pre-Med
What are you doing this summer?
“I’m going to be working at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; in Dallas. I will be reviewing data on the Medicare costs of installing ultraviolet light therapy treatments. So basically, there are patients who suffer from skin cancer. While chemotherapy is one of the normal treatments, they also require most patients to use ultraviolet light therapy, which you can only get in-office. The medical center is trying to get Medicare to approve it as an insurance-covered treatment for patients with skin cancer, so that they can get the ultraviolet light therapy installed in their homes. They won’t have to travel back and forth to the hospital every time. These people need it around three times a week for a couple hours each session, and it’s just really out of the way. So, I’ll be looking at the cost of a one-time installation versus the cost of six months worth of in-office treatments.”
How did you find out about this opportunity?
“My aunt is actually a dermatologist at UT Southwestern. I messaged her saying, ‘Is there anyone who needs a student researcher?’ and she told me that she usually has medical students who work under her. The medical center was actually looking for people to help with data analysis. So, I corresponded back and forth with them and they told me they wanted to have me come and do data research. I’ll also be looking at tissue samples and patient biopsies.”
What was the application process like?
“I had to do online training. It leaned more towards, ‘Tell us what you’re doing at school, and we can go ahead and get you approved.’ There wasn’t really an application process for this position — it was kind of just created. They never announced that they were looking for interns.”
Will you be getting paid?
“I’m getting Lynk funding for it because they said they could provide me with an internship as long as it wasn’t paid, and I told them that I could probably use Lynk funding. I met with someone at the CDC, and she said that the internship would constitute for Lynk funding.”
How long will your internship be?
“It’s going to be eight weeks long. It’s starting on June 1, and it ends around the last week of July.”