When I was 15 years old I became an intern at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. I had been emailing every one of their surgical departments and finally got a response from a Neurosurgeon, Dr.Inyang. After emailing back and forth, I got invited to fly to Ohio and shadow/assists him for 10 days. 

 

I was in the O.R during every one of his procedures and witnessed Dr.Inyang perform over 10 procedures. These procedures included but weren't limited to, humeral nails placed in a patient's shoulder, craniotomy for patients with an aneurysm, and Posterior fossa decompressions. During his procedures, I was on a stool next to the operating table to see step by step how he completed each surgery. Every time he needed a new tool I would step down from the stool and find it for him, on the table where the tools were kept. When the surgery was completed, Dr.Inyang would explain in further detail all the steps he took. 

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Though I wish I could show photos and share my many amazing moments with you guys, patients have the right to confidentiality in the operating room and I would never take photos of a patient undergoing a procedure without their permission. 

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Because this was over 2 years ago, I don't have an exact log of this internship, but I will share with you "a-day-in-the-life" of my 10-day internship.

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Schedule(this is all working alongside Dr.Inyang):

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Arrive at Cleveland Clinic: 6 am

Check-in/prepare for O.R: 6 am-7 am

Speak with other surgeons/health care workers involved in procedure:7-8 am

Prep patients/Anesthesia: 8 am-8:30am

Preforming surgery(my part was shadowing and finding/handing out tools: 9 am-1 pm

Review: 1 pm-1:30 pm

Lunch: 1:30 pm-2 pm

Repeat the process for one more surgery(usually a shorter one): 2 pm-7 pm

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This was approximately the schedule I followed for 10 days and it was the best 10 days of my life. I was going to go again the following summer(last summer) but it got cancelled due to COVID-19. Hopefully sometime this year I can go again(very hopefully). 

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