Lauren Esh – Medical Education Internship

My name is Lauren. I am a senior at Garden Spot High School. This fall I have had the opportunity to work under the mentorship of Mrs. Groft at GSHS. She is the Anatomy and Physiology teacher in the science department. In addition, Mrs. Groft is one of the physical education teachers, but I have only observed the A&P class. As a student looking to go into the medical field, observing this medical class has improved my knowledge on the topic and allowed me to work with others. In addition, Mrs. Groft is head of the ELANCO District Health Council. As her intern, I take responsibility for helping with the many tasks she takes on.

Throughout the course of this internship, I have been working alongside Mrs. Groft. To start, I typically help create worksheets for A&P students. Due to the COVD-19 restrictions, participation in class activities is limited. Therefore, part of my job is to develop new ideas that expand the creativity of students and help them learn the material. Further, because we have online students, many documents need to be scanned to allow access to these learners. Scanning worksheets, and developing completely new documents, for them is a typical job of mine. Further, as Mrs. Groft is a PhysEd teacher for the special needs class, I have been given the responsibility to assist in creating activities for these students, as well. Again, the activities are limited due to the virus, however, it is fun to find creative ways to make the class enjoyable for the students. Similarly, the health council events put on for the community are very limited. Mrs. Groft and I worked together to develop new ideas that can be approved. These are just a few examples of how Mrs. Groft has kept me busy during the internship.

The experiences I have had so far are pushing me to be a better individual. Working this much with developing new ideas has increased my creativity. I also have to think comprehensively, yet quickly, as Mrs. Groft asks many questions on the spot. Another skill that has been required for this course is organization. For example, I started out the semester by cleaning and organizing a closet. More often, however, this skill is used to help make some classwork easier for students to interpret. On the health council side, the organization is tested as planning events became part of my regular jobs.

Overall, this opportunity has been an incredible journey. Within three months, I learned so much working alongside Mrs. Groft. The amount she has taken charge of is inspiring and I look up to her ability to keep up with it all. This experience has allowed me to test and improve upon many skills that will prepare me for my future in the medical field, and life in general. I am so excited to continue working with and learning from Mrs. Groft through the rest of the semester.