Internships

This internship helped me find a new passion and understanding towards research and I couldn’t possibly articulate how grateful I am to have been surrounded by you and the other wonderful people of this clinic.

From educational lectures to assisting with clinic flow and to dedicating time to complete data collection, this past summer was filled with learning opportunities I couldn’t have gotten elsewhere. This experience is the highlight of my college career as I couldn’t have asked for a better experience to expose me to clinical research and the behind the scenes of a practice that specializes in headaches and migraine. I truly believe that you have built a wonderful research internship for students to gain meaningful experience in research and medical skills.

Thank you again for allowing me to participate in this wonderful program. I look forward to future contributions and the possibility of coming back to the clinic!

We were also given opportunities to get hands-on patient care experience, as well as shadow the providers in the clinic. The weekly workshops and lectures from guest speakers taught me medical technical skills, such as phlebotomy, and helped me to improve my communication skills and confidence with patient and provider interactions. My favorite part of the internship was getting the opportunity to get to know all of the staff in the clinic (especially our furry companion, Cusco!). I was constantly learning from them, and they genuinely made me excited to come to work everyday. Since participating in this experience, I have been selected for a research assistant position at my university and have had the opportunity to further engage in research, helping me continue on my healthcare journey. In addition, the Chicago Headache Center’s emphasis on patient experience has set a standard for the quality of care that I will strive to achieve for my patients in my future career in medicine.

During my time there myself and three other interns got the opportunity to be fully immersed in the workplace. We gained experience in all steps of the clinical trial process, as well as had weekly guest speakers from all sorts of fields related to headache and migraine treatment. We gained experience advocating for patients through prior authorizations which allowed me to appreciate the critical role of patient advocacy in the healthcare process. Shadowing experienced professionals and interacting with patients provided me with a deeper understanding of their experiences and challenges, enhancing my communication and empathy skills. Since returning to campus after engaging in this internship I have become more involved and immersed in the research lab that I am a part of here at Purdue. Additionally, I will be leading my own research project within our lab that will run over the next three semesters. The impact of this internship can’t be understated as just the research experience. It also came with professional and personal development that will be sure to improve the strength of my character and be seen in the competitiveness of my application to medical school. Lastly, the very talented and welcoming team at CHCRI made it very easy to be excited to go to work every single day!