By Simone Midgett, Editor-in-Chief
Senior Zoë Blankenship eagerly replaced her normal school outfit for a pair of scrubs and rushed out the door to make sure she was on time for her first day interning at Tidewater Skin Care.
She thought of all the different things she was going to experience: how many pimples she was going to have to see that day, or maybe a few odd rashes. She soon realized her internship was going to consist of much, much more.
“The first day of my internship I didn’t know that they did surgeries. I got to watch a surgery and I actually passed out,” Blankenship said. “I had to leave the room and I sat in the corner and passed out and when I woke up I just kept going on with the rest of the day.”
This experience has shown Blankenship what a day in the life of a dermatologist is really like. She has watched basil cell removals and melanoma surgeries, cosmetic procedures and full-body exams.
“I get to shadow one of the head dermatologists, Caroline Conkwright, and observe all of the surgeries and procedures she does, and on Mondays I help all of the nurses stock rooms,” Blankenship said.
Through Blankenship’s internship, she has had the opportunity to learn more about a field she has been interested in since middle school.
“It helped me figure out what I want to do when I am older and it helped me get my foot in the door and learn so many new things,” Blankenship said. “I thought dermatology was just popping pimples and giving people skincare tips, but it is a lot more hands-on, and I didn’t know dermatologists performed surgeries – they cut out a lot of skin cancers and they take skin samples.”
Along with dermatology, there is an array of other internship options for students interested in the field of medicine. Another student who has taken advantage of the school’s internship program is senior Ivy Doyle.
Doyle interns with Dare County EMS. Unlike most of the internships students have, she puts in her hours over the weekend and spends her Saturdays at the station.
“Every Saturday I go to the station at 7 a.m. and I stay until 3 p.m. and I help them with chores around the station and then I will go with them if they run a call,” Doyle said. “Usually it’s like one call per shift because it’s really slow during the off-season.”
Even though there is less action happening for EMS during this time of year, this opportunity has shown Doyle what it is like to be part of a close-knit group that works together in the field.
“EMS is like a big happy family. We eat together and play games – when nothing is happening,” Doyle said.
And Doyle has still gotten to experience calls first-hand: “My first call was a car accident where this guy had a really nasty head laceration and we transported him to the hospital.”
While being a first responder isn’t exactly what Doyle has planned for the future, she stills believes it helps her be better prepared for her ideal career choice: a trauma surgeon.
“It’s really good to actually see the stuff that I want to see in the future, to prepare myself to be around it all of the time,” Doyle said. “I think it gives me a better perspective of pre-hospital care because a lot of surgeons just know what they do, but knowing what happens before they come in can be really helpful.”
Doyle and Blankenship may be interning at two very different sections of the medical field, but they both are taking away the same experience: They both have a clearer understanding of their future.
“If you are iffy about something, definitely do an internship because you get to talk to the people and providers about if they like it, how much they get paid, or if they would do something else,” Blankenship said.
Senior Simone Midgett can be reached at midgettsa0827@daretolearn.org.
