Melissa Seldon '17

Melissa Seldon worked as a medical intern during the summer of 2016 at Sports and Orthopaedic Specialists (SAOS) in Edina, Minneapolis and Plymouth, Minnesota.

What were some of the responsibilities of your internship? What did it entail?

As an SAOS intern, I had administrative, educational and clinical responsibilities. My administrative responsibilities included assisting in the preparation of their annual SAOS sports medicine conference, and assisting in data collection and data input for medical research. My educational responsibilities included attending weekly Grand Rounds presentations to review anatomy, pathology, procedures and treatments, and complete a final case-study presentation based on an interesting case I saw during my internship. My clinical responsibilities included observing and closely working alongside orthopedic surgeons, primary care sports medicine physicians, physician's assistants, physical therapists, certified athletic trainers and a Ph.D. biomechanist. I also performed clinical patient history examinations for providers.

How did CSB/SJU prepare you for the internship?

As a CSB/SJU student, I had the opportunity to work as a Sports Medicine Assistant in the athletic training room at CSB — so I gained firsthand exposure working with prevention techniques and injury modalities. As a sophomore, I conducted exercise sports science research with CSB/SJU Professor Don Fischer, which helped prepare me for the research component of the internship. I also took two semesters of anatomy and physiology and the evidence based medicine course, which helped better prepare me to converse and understand the intricacies of working in the healthcare field. The last major aspect of being a CSB/SJU student that helped prepare me for my internship was my major, Integrative Health Science. Through this major I was able to take a diverse set of science courses that helped me better understand the human body from multiple science disciplines. I was able to present myself as having a holistic background in understanding the human body, which helped me converse better with providers and patients.

What were some challenges/experiences that you faced? How did you overcome those challenges?

A challenge that I experienced while interning at SAOS was when the healthcare professionals would ask me healthcare questions that I was unable to answer. It was a humbling experience to have to tell a physician that I did not know the answer, but the experience helped me better accept humility and furthered my drive to continually learn more about the healthcare system.

What was your favorite memory?

My favorite memory of the internship was the first time I performed a patient's medical history examination by myself. I correctly diagnosed the patient's injury and provided ample information to the provider about my patient. Being able to successfully complete an examination without the help of another provider gave me the utmost confidence that I am going into the right profession for my personal and professional interests.

Advice for students interested in applying for an internship?

If you are interested in applying to the SAOS medical internship, I would advise you to seek out medical experience beforehand because they like when applicants have experience working and conversing with other healthcare professionals. They also like when applicants have hands-on experience working with patients, especially when dealing with orthopedic injuries. Lastly, there are opportunities for conducting medical research as an SAOS intern, so they also like to see that applicants have experience with conducting research.

What are your plans after graduation?

My plans after graduation are to go to physician assistant graduate school to become a physician assistant. Upon graduating from physician assistant school, I hope to be able to utilize my skills abroad and eventually practice as a physician assistant in numerous countries to gain a better understanding of the different healthcare systems in the world.

Anything else you would like to add?

The SAOS medical internship is one of the best experiences that a pre-healthcare undergraduate student can have before applying to graduate schools. I was able to make strong professional connections with numerous different healthcare professionals and gain firsthand experience seeing how the healthcare system works on a daily basis. They select only five interns, so the program is very unique and specialized for each individual. Nowadays it is very hard to gain healthcare observation hours, so this internship is the perfect way to gain exponential observation hours because the interns observe healthcare providers roughly 10 hours per week. The healthcare providers love interacting with the interns, so they are very helpful in answering any questions interns have about going into the healthcare field. I would highly recommend this program. Best undergraduate decision I have made!