Greetings! My name is Joy Nina Nampaso and I’m an incoming sophomore on a pre-med track with an intended
major in psychology. This summer I am interning at Karen Hospital in my home country Kenya! My first weeks at Karen Hospital have been filled with new experiences and learning points. On my first day I remember worrying about coronavirus and the risk of contracting it. I wanted to run out the door as quickly as I came in but thankfully that didn’t happen. I owe it to the amazing staff and interns that I work with. I have been able to draw strength from their resilience and determination to serve others as frontline healthcare workers. I have mainly been working at the front desk interacting with patients, booking appointments, and processing payments. I have truly enjoyed this part of my work because of the interactions with other people which is one of the reasons I decided to pursue a career in the healthcare field. The quality of my work is
essential for the smooth running of the hospital and knowing this has helped me better my time management and efficiency. I’m really looking forward to the coming weeks where I will be focusing on skill based learning. I will be learning how to take and record vital signs and the sphygmomanometer that measures blood pressure is at the top of my interest list. Another great part of my internship has been interacting with Dr Alvin Juma
Mondoh who is a family doctor, endocrinologist and the Head of the Accident & Emergency Unit at the hospital. I connected with him because just like me, he was an international medical student in the United States. He offers nothing short of amazing stories of his time as a student as well as great advice on how to succeed in medical school. My days mostly begin with a cup of hot tea because June and July are the coldest months in Kenya. In the middle of serving incoming patients, I steal a few moments to converse with other working staff members. From our conversations, It is clear that the pandemic has had a great toll on the facility as the number of patients served has decreased by more than half since March. Despite the dark cloud that hangs over the world at this time, I feel hopeful for a better future and lucky to serve my country and especially the front line health care workers.
Experiences like Joy’s are made possible by the Whitman Internship Grant, which provides funding for students to participate in unpaid internships at both for-profit and non-profit organizations. We are happy to be sharing blog posts from students who were supported by either a summer, fall, spring, or year-long Whitman Internship Grant at organizations, businesses, and research labs all around the world. To learn how you could secure a Whitman Internship Grant or host a Whitman intern at your organization, click here or contact Assistant Director for Internship Programs Mitzy Rodriguez