Gaining First-Hand Clinical Experience On the Floor And In the Labs

As a child, Karla Gonzalez ’24 was not afraid of the hospital. She had Ellen — her nurse, role model and confident — who brought her toys, kept her spirits lifted and always included her family.

"I looked up to her. I wanted to be like her," said Gonzalez, a psychology major who has von Willebrand Disease, a bleeding disorder that restricts blood from clotting properly, causing her to bruise easily and undergo routine blood testing.

Growing up, Gonzalez dreamt of becoming a nurse or a pediatrician. This summer, she is moving closer to that goal by participating in the Summit program, a new partnership between Holy Cross and the UMass Chan Medical School, in which students intern at the medical school and UMass Memorial Children’s Medical Center to learn about pediatric clinical research and patient care first-hand.

"Being part of the internship and working with [Nurse Practitioner] Lauren [Fortier] opens up a lot of avenues for me. This is my first experience with clinical research and shadowing in a hospital setting, and it’s showing me a different aspect of pediatrics than I knew," Gonzalez said.

She and five peers make up the eight-week program’s inaugural cohort, working in medical labs, shadowing during hospital rounds and analyzing data for clinical research projects.

“We are the only children’s medical center in the region and can offer undergraduate students exposure to what it’s like to work in a clinical setting, from research to patient care,” said Lawrence Rhein, M.D., chair of the Department of Pediatrics, who is overseeing the program.

Gonzalez and Brianna Fountain ’25 are working with Fortier, a nurse practitioner in the pediatric intensive care unit, on a study that evaluates the best course of treatment for diabetic children experiencing complications from the disease. The students will also accompany a multidisciplinary team of doctors on their rounds to witness different facets of pediatric care.

“I’m impressed by what they’ve done so far,” Fortier said. “They are insightful and thorough when reviewing charts, navigating medical records and shadowing. Hopefully, this experience augments their excitement and motivation to go into medicine in some capacity.”

“Being able to experience the combination of research and treating patients is inspiring,” said Fountain, a biology and math double major who is considering continuing her education in an M.D./Ph.D. program to become an oncologist and cancer researcher. “It allows me to see how the research helps to inform patient care.”

According to Amy Murphy, director of the Center for Career Development at Holy Cross, internships — particularly clinical internships for students interested in health professions — provide students with opportunities to practice and develop the knowledge, skills and habits they have developed at the College.

“They learn from learning practitioners in pediatrics and deepen their commitment to a career in the health professions,” Murphy said. “Through this internship with UMass Children’s Medical Center, my hope is that our students gain further clarity about their own specific career and professional goals and confidently see themselves as emerging professionals in the health professions.”