INTERN TO INTERNIST?

While hundreds of CLU students gain career experience interning at local companies and organizations each year, those pursuing careers in medicine explore human health firsthand as part of the Clinical Care Extenders Program, working in emergency rooms, surgical operating rooms, and obstetrics facilities. In this program, CLU students take part in three-month rotations around area hospitals and medical centers. While their duties might involve assisting nurses with patient transport, bathing, helping with food, or changing linens, students also have the opportunity to observe firsthand a variety of actual surgeries, infant deliveries, emergency room operations, and other life-and-death procedures daily.


Jillian Baker

JILLIAN BAKER

Hometown: Moorpark, California

Major: Biology (Minor: Chemistry)

Internships: Four 3-month rotations at the St. John's Regional Medical Center, Oxnard, and the St. John's Pleasant Valley Hospital, Camarillo (where she also served as a department coordinator)

Area: Medical-surgery unit, Labor and Delivery, E.R., O.R. (surgery)

"In the Surgery Unit, I was able to observe various surgical procedures, like the laparoscopic removal of a gallbladder, and the staff would explain to me what they were doing. Once, they even let me stand over an open abdominal cavity and pointed out the various organs.

This internship has solidified my decision to become a doctor. I realized how amazing it is to make a difference in a person's life. Even the simple acts that I've done, like giving a warm blanket to a patient or listening to their stories, have given me such a feeling of satisfaction and happiness that I know will only grow as I become a doctor."


INTERVIEW

 Thomas Estus

THOMAS ESTUS

Hometown: Simi Valley, California

Major: Bioengineering

Internships: Six 3-month rotations at the St. John's Regional Medical Center, Oxnard, and the St. John's Pleasant Valley Hospital, Camarillo (where he also served as a department coordinator)

Area: Medical-surgery unit, Labor and Delivery, E.R. (four times)

"During my time in the ER, I was able to witness amazing techniques harnessed to provide quick and effective care during an emergency. The most outstanding moment was watching a banding procedure of wounds in the esophagus using a gun attached to a gastrointestinal tube that shot out rubber bands to stop the bleeding.

I initially chose this internship as a means to determine between graduate or medical school, and I can easily say that it helped me make that decision."





INTERVIEW

 Sasha Sommer

SASHA SOMMER

Hometown: Lake Havasu City, Arizona

Major: Biology (Minor: Chemistry)

Internships: Three 3-month rotations at the St. John's Regional Medical Center, Oxnard, and the St. John's Pleasant Valley Hospital, Camarillo (where she also served as a department coordinator)

Area: Medical-surgery unit, Labor and Delivery, O.R. (surgery)

"The current department I'm in is the Operating Room, and this has been my favorite so far. I've seen a general surgeon perform a removal of the colon, intestines, and appendix. I've observed orthopedic surgeons put plates in various broken bones, do knee and hip replacements, spinal disk replacements — a very new procedure that just came out less than a year ago — do torn ACL repairs, knee arthroscopy, and carpal tunnel release just to name a few. I thoroughly enjoyed the O.R., so I am currently performing another rotation to see what else I can learn."

OPERATE

Feedback Form