Written by Ella Bendon, WHS Senior and CEIP Communications Intern
Internship at medical imaging facility helps put career goals in focus
The Career Exploration Internship Program (CEIP) class allows high school seniors to discover and explore possible career paths to map out their futures. One student in the program has used this class to her advantage to pursue the career that seems to be her calling.
Arooj Babar is currently interning at Capital Imaging, where she has been given the opportunity to see the reality of her desired field: medicine. Specifically, Arooj is interested in heart surgery. While she only attends her internship once a week, she described the fulfillment she feels while she’s there.
At her internship, Arooj’s responsibilities include uploading patient information into scripts for doctors to form diagnoses, scanning important medical documents, and observing doctors and nurses and how they work with patients. She stressed the importance of having a basis of trust with patients.
“I’ve learned that it’s important to know how to settle the patients before you begin your work. You want them to be informed but you don’t want them to panic,” she said. She added that knowing patients and their concerns personally is one of the most important aspects of the job. When asked what else she was learning from her time at Capital Imaging, Arooj emphasized the worth of one other skill.
“Organization. It is so important to be organized, clean, and coordinated in the medical field. You need to be familiar with your area to be successful.”
While Capital Imaging specializes in procedures such as x-rays and ultrasounds, rather than her desired area of study, Arooj said that her time there has been extremely valuable nonetheless. It has allowed her to get a realistic view of how a doctor’s office is run while simultaneously giving her an opportunity to learn about the specifics of x-rays and ultrasounds, which she will have to be familiar with in the future.
“It has been extremely helpful. I can see how the more intricate parts of the job are handled, like biopsies. I’ll need that in the future. I see the ins-and-out of the job. I’m sure this is what I want to do now, and I’m excited to do it.”
She hopes her time there will not only allow her to branch off into her desired field, but will also help her gain experience and form connections with those she is working with now.
Arooj provided a final piece of advice to future students pursuing the same career path as her.
“Dedication is key. You won’t like it if you’re only doing it for the money. I recommend only doing it if you’re really interested in this field; only if you really want to help people and save lives.”