Kimberly was an intern for Children's National during Fall 2024.
Briefly explain what you did and the result of your internship.
As a research assistant on a type 1 diabetes research team, I assisted with recruitment efforts and administrative efforts for the beginning of our study. Additionally, I shadowed multiple psychologists in a variety of clinics. I worked closely with the GI, Cystic Fibrosis, and Colorectal clinics to create and establish a clinic screener to evaluate the mental health of patient coming in to the clinics. As a result of these experiences, our study is set up to begin their recruitment and their study, as all as properly evaluate and assess the mental health of pediatric patients.
What did you learn in your internship that you were not expecting to learn?
I was originally hired to work specifically with the type 1 diabetes population. However, my skills were utilized in a variety of different clinics which provided me with the opportunity to learn about many different sides of health psychology.
How have your future plans changed because of what you learned from your internship experience?
I have decided on pursuing a PhD in pediatric psychology. Before this I was unsure of what path I was going to take in the psychology field but this position helped me realize that this was exactly what hah I wanted to do.
Please share how your experience led to personal inspiration or insightful revelation.
My supervisor at Children's National truly inspired me and helped me solidify my passions. Because of her guidance, I was able to receive revelation and confirmation for my future and how I will best demonstrate the hand of God to others in my career.
Would you recommend this internship to other students?
I would recommend this internship to other students. Not only are those who I worked with incredible, but it was the most informative experience of my undergraduate. I got to receive hands on experience that is extremely hard to come by as an undergraduate. My experiences have also made me a competitive candidate for graduate school and job opportunities.
