Utah Valley Pediatrics - Internship

Over the course of the 2014 winter semester I have been allowed the great opportunity to shadow several pediatricians of Utah Valley Pediatrics.  Nearly each Friday I would go to their local office and observe what commonly happens in the day of a pediatrician.  This was an extremely valuable experience to learn different ways pediatricians interact with their patients as well as address the needs of them.  Often the patients would come in for what is called a well-child checkup.  These routine appointments are essential to aid in the continuing development of these children.  Occasionally patients would come in with illnesses or other concerns that really needed the expertise of the pediatrician to care for them.  Because this is a practice with several pediatricians, occasionally these pediatricians would be able to quickly ask a second opinion about a diagnosis and really aid getting the best care for the patient.  The pediatricians showed great interest in their patients and care for them.  It is this aspect that I really enjoyed and want to model in a future career.  To be able to aid and assist others in making their lives better would be great.  I also saw how busy doctors are even when their patients are late.  If doctors are not seeing patients they are often reading lab reports and doing various paperwork all related to assisting their patients. I am grateful for this opportunity to shadow at Utah Valley Pediatrics.

Provo, UT; Central Utah Clinic; -Karl Nielson

I was able to shadow an orthopedic surgeon during fall semester. It was really a great opportunity to see how a successful (and very busy) medical practice is run. The doctor I got to shadow is in the forefront of foot and ankle specialists and is the only surgeon in Utah to perform full ankle replacements (with the star prosthetic) and many other surgical techniques. I got to see and participate to some degree in many procedures and I learned all the different things that a specialist will have to deal with. Patient interaction I found to be very important, and a little more complicated than I thought. This opportunity was great and definitely reinforced my desire to go into the medical field.

For more information visit: http://centralutahclinic.com/.