Summer Profile Series: Kanouse Interns at NJ Hospital

Posted in GUMC Stories

Earlier this summer, human science major Andrew Kanouse (NHS’14) interned at the Overlook Medical Center in Summit, NJ where he participated in the Overlook Summer Internship Program (OSIP).

At OSIP, college students from across the country had the opportunity to learn about a future career in medicine by shadowing physicians, attending lectures, and participating in mentorships.

Path to Medical School

Kanouse has always wanted to become a physician, but this internship gave him a deeper understanding of his path to medical school.

“My first week really emphasized the lesson I came to increasingly appreciate about keeping an open mind about my future,” said Kanouse. “My misperceptions and lack of knowledge about the actual path towards medicine, regarding the timing and the different programs, were often proven to be completely incorrect. It’s the experiences, circumstances, and people with whom you interact that ultimately decide where you end up, not necessarily a rigid planned-out course.”

Patient Interaction

Each day, Kanouse had the opportunity to shadow a physician and interact with patients. This gave him an authentic view of the daily life of a physician.

As a result, he came away from the experience with a stronger interest in patient interaction.

“Being able to really ‘share the couch’ with each patient in every specialty I shadowed was the most rewarding aspect of the internship,” said Kanouse. “Patients doesn’t necessarily need a cure to have their condition improved. I really got to see that during my time with the patients with cancer. I truly believe that’s what would inspire me as a doctor to keep fighting right alongside them.”

Prepared and Motivated

As his internship came to an end, Kanouse was thankful for the academic preparation he received at NHS and for the revived motivation the internship provided him.

“My NHS classes of human biology, pathophysiology, and health promotion proved extremely useful,” he said. “I was shocked to see how real-life the material from those classes ended up becoming. It’s no secret that the path to medical school is long. I really believe this internship revived a spirit and goal that was definitely still there, but may have gotten a little obscured by all the things I felt I had to do.”

By Alicia Lee, NHS Communications
(Published August 8, 2012)