AURORA, Colo. — HCA HealthONE Aurora introduces nearly 15 high school students every year to the world of healthcare through their executive internship program.
Kevin Truong, a senior at Vista PEAK Preparatory in Aurora, feels inspired to pursue a career in healthcare after wrapping up his internship. Having already volunteered at Children’s Hospital Colorado, the experience at his Aurora internship started quickly.
“My first day, I immediately went to the emergency room and got to help a nurse help care for patients,” said Truong. “Assisting them here and there by maybe moving the patient and helping set up leads for an electrocardiogram.”
Dr. Alexander Enurah, a hospitalist and the director of community outreach at HCA HealthONE Aurora, showed Truong how he interacts with patients.
“The patients would really brighten up when they would see a student,” said Enurah. “They were somewhat excited to see me [but are] way more excited to see a student, his future and where he was going.”
A medical internship is a great way to get hands-on experience, learn about the day-to-day operations of a hospital, and get an education that goes beyond the textbooks.
“The technical aspect of healthcare is something I really enjoy,” said Truong. “I always ask the healthcare professional that I'm shadowing if I could assist in any way, be it setting up leads or helping with IVs or taking out IVs. It’s something I enjoy because it makes me feel like I'm playing a part in their healthcare plan.”
Internships provide the real-world experience that lets people know if a career in healthcare is something they want to pursue.
“We’ve had students who've come through, who have done this and felt like, ‘Yes, I really love healthcare. I want to be a part of this,’” said Enurah. “The other important thing is we’ve also had students come through who felt like, 'I’m really glad I experienced this, but realized this isn’t for me.’ I think that’s such a wonderful experience when someone’s really early on in their career to make those decisions.”
Truong, who hopes to eventually study anesthesiology, has been busy. He’s already earned an associate degree in general science from the Community College of Aurora before graduating high school and will soon study at the University of Colorado Denver. He’s also volunteered for more than 150 hours at HCA HealthONE Aurora.
Truong encourages other students to work hard but be realistic with their expectations.
“Don’t burn yourself out. Do it within your limits, but also challenge yourself,” said Truong. “Take it one step at a time, but also take every opportunity you can get a hold of because you don’t know if you’re going to get another opportunity like that again.”
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