May 2022
Little did I know that the next few weeks would alter my perspective.
2:00 p.m. The small shack of a hospital was still brimming with patients and medical staff. My stomach churned with excitement but also nervousness as what I would experience over the course of the next couple of weeks.
At this time I knew I was interested in the healthcare field but I wasn’t completely sure whether it could be my future career. I had gone to visit my extended family in a small rural town of India. One of my mom’s friends was an orthopedic surgeon and he was more than happy to introduce me to healthcare. However, I quickly learned that the subtle “introduction” he had hinted was less of a welcome and more like a rude shove into the heart of healthcare.
My first impression of the hospital was tiny. I was so accustomed to the large, polished chains of hospitals in the U.S. that this small hospital was a stark contrast. The windows had to be open to circulate air as there was no air conditioning. The lights flicker on and off every couple of minutes. However, unfamiliar surroundings never scared me so I continued forward.
I followed the surgeon into one of the patient’s rooms and the first sight I witnessed was a calf with no skin and missing severe chunks of muscle. I could see straight to the bone. I’ve never been someone to be scared of blood but that sight startled me. I remember vividly thinking, “my biology class could have never prepared me for that.”
I was often pushed into a lot of moments that my fifteen year old mind wasn’t prepared for. However, I can never back down from a challenge and I refused this to be my first time I did. As someone who had no experience in the medical field this experience honestly, absolutely frightened me. Everyday I would dread walking into the hospital. When I came back home I would barely eat and go straight to sleep.
But at the same time, something absolutely intrigued me. While my brain fought the urge to repulse against the things I saw, my heart told me to come closer and watch more intently.
Reflecting back on this experience, I barely even remember the horror I sometimes felt. I only remember the awe I felt as I watched my first surgery and the pride that consumed me as I watched patients get discharged after weeks of staying in the ICU. When I came back to the U.S., I realized two things: the U.S. healthcare system is not like India’s whatsoever and that the healthcare field was in fact for me.
