Several college students studying to become doctors spent their summer off from school learning hands on about their future career path.
Mercy Health – Lourdes Hospital graduated 10 students from its Future Physicians Program. These exceptional students have dedicated their summers to shadowing physicians across various disciplines within the hospital.
The program allows undergraduate pre-medicine students to shadow physicians and advanced practice clinicians for a well-rounded experience consisting of rotations in four service areas of the surgery department, including anesthesia, otolaryngology, orthopedic surgery and neurological surgery.
Additionally, the program consisted of seven rotations in the medicine department, including cardiology, emergency medicine, oncology, pathology, pediatrics, psychiatry and pulmonology. The students each gained more than 150 hours of shadowing experience, which left an impression on them.
“One of the most impactful experiences I had was when I was shadowing oncology and someone was being diagnosed with cancer. This is one of those things that you don’t really know how you will react to until it happens,” Natalie Besaw, one of the program’s participants, says. “It was a very somber moment, but Dr. Claudino is very empathetic and caring with his patients and handled it with such grace that I was in awe.”
What’s new to the 2024 program?
This year’s program has introduced new rotations in oncology, orthopedics, pulmonology, pathology and pediatrics, enhancing the students’ experience and broadening their medical knowledge.
“Among the many specialties I have had the opportunity to explore, emergency medicine has captured my heart. The adrenaline-pumping environment of the emergency department, coupled with the challenge of making critical decisions under pressure, aligns well with my desire for a fast-paced and impactful career,” participant Bryce Milby says. “Throughout this program, I have gained firsthand insights into the urgency and unpredictability that define emergency medicine, reinforcing my commitment to pursuing this path in medicine.”
Thanks to generous donations from the Lourdes Auxiliary team, Purchase AHEC and Lourdes medical staff, the program was able to accommodate four additional students in 2024 compared to 2023.
The program’s impact
Lourdes Hospital is proud to provide this program to students. It is continually encouraged to see many past participants serving the Paducah community in health care roles long after their time in the program ends. Keeping health care talent in the community is a true benefit to the area. A special thanks to the physicians who made a powerful impact with their time, talent and teaching.
“An experience that struck me was my pulmonology rotation with Dr. Khoudoud. I found that he really valued students,” participant Ashlee Wellen says. “Not only did he show me CT scans and stress test results, but he interpreted them with me. Note I didn’t say ‘for me.’ He taught as much as he showed and allowed me to reflect on that knowledge myself, even if I didn’t always get the details right. I found that, through the experience, I would like a specialty where part of the work involves analyzing these scans and tests. I appreciated the time Dr. Khoudoud took to educate me and how he gave me lots of information on any questions I asked.”
Learn about the educational and residency programs we offer at Mercy Health.
