Intern of the Month
March/April
Lindsay Norton
Not every student enjoys her summer job, but Lindsay Norton gives her internship an A+ (positive, that is). She had the opportunity to work at York Hospital's blood bank. Lindsay had been a volunteer for five years prior to the internship, but she says this experience revealed “another perspective on a crucial aspect of the hospital that many people don't really give much thought to.”
Lindsay developed a full appreciation for this specific part of the hospital not just by observing, but working side by side with lab technicians. As an intern, one of her duties was to prepare specimens for blood type and antibody screening or prenatal testing. She was also responsible for modifying blood products such as platelets, plasma and cryoprecipitate according to a physician’s orders.
Lindsay wishes she could have had more chances to interact directly with patients. But, she said, “a lot goes on behind the scenes in the lab that can have as much or more bearing than the actual patient-physician contact.” She also spent a great deal of time recording every modification made to specimens; all information had to be checked meticulously. Such attention to detail is perhaps the most vital aspect of this job environment. Lindsay noted: “unlike other parts of the lab, nearly everything in the blood bank is done by the technicians themselves and each product is checked and rechecked several times before it leaves the blood bank.”
When asked about her favorite aspect of the internship, Lindsay responded “knowing that each day, numerous people’s lives were saved through the efforts of the personnel within the blood bank.” She developed a tremendous amount of respect for those involved in this profession. “Without them, diagnostics would be virtually impossible. These people are truly unsung heroes as across America they save millions of lives everyday,” said Lindsay.
As a biology major, Lindsay hopes to attend medical school when she graduates in 2010. Because of her internship, she is now considering the fields of endocrinology, hematology and orthopedics as possible specialties.