The following is a guest post by Nicole Sheikholeslami, a Chicago Medical School student who recently worked as a value-based health care summer research intern at Dell Med.
It was the week after winter break and like many first-year medical students, I was starting to think about how I was going to spend my summer. I knew I was interested in surgery, and my previous research experience made it clear that I really wanted something that allowed me to interact directly with patients. It was important for me to find a happy medium between hearing the thoughts and opinions of patients and scouring the literature for the latest research on improving the delivery of patient-centered care.
I came across the Dell Medical School Department of Surgery and Perioperative Care Value-Based Health Care Summer Research Intern position completely by accident. As I researched more about the position and later interviewed with various members of the team, I couldn’t picture myself anywhere else. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity to learn from the leaders in the value-based care world during a time where our health care system was rapidly evolving. I was also beyond excited at the thought of gaining firsthand insight into understanding the patient’s perspective within the health care setting and how that knowledge could be used to improve the practices and quality of care that is delivered to all patients.
Before I knew it, my car was packed and I was making the three-day drive from Chicago to Austin to start an internship that was about to change the course of my life. When I arrived at Dell Med, I was welcomed into a family who wanted to help nurture my research potential. I was initially given my own project to oversee throughout the summer and quickly took on greater responsibilities in helping manage other ongoing projects. I also had the opportunity to develop my own ideas and build them up into future research studies. What was most striking about my experience was the creative energy among all the research team members — it was exhilarating and contagious. Words can’t do justice to describe how a 30-minute meeting can turn a side tangent into a new study.
My experience at Dell Med was largely shaped by the people I had the privilege of working with on a daily basis. While my internship was only for a summer, I truly found a family. The musculoskeletal integrated practice unit at UT Health Austin created an interprofessional environment where providers, researchers and clinical staff all worked side by side, each fulfilling a fundamental role in caring for a patient. I gained a greater appreciation for the complexity of care delivery and understanding for the importance of each team member. Above all, I saw how our effective teamwork positively impacted the care patients received.
When I look back at my summer, I will forever be grateful for everything I learned in such a short amount of time and how it helped me gain confidence in myself as a researcher. I start the next chapter in my medical school career with a greater appreciation for understanding what patients want and need in their health care system. I was fortunate to collaborate with individuals who are driven by the principle of providing high quality care to their patients. They helped me develop my ability to think critically about research questions as well as gave me a new perspective on the path I would like my medical school career to take.