“I didn’t like doctors’ offices when I was little, but as I got older, I started getting curious about how our bodies work,” the Rutgers–Camden sophomore biology major says.
Now, Kiehlmeier has her sights set firmly on medical school, and she’s getting a firsthand look at how a hospital operates through a volunteer premed program at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
Kiehlmeier, a Cherry Hill resident and 2009 graduate of Cherry Hill High School East, volunteers four hours per week at the hospital, where she fulfills various responsibilities in the emergency department.
“If there’s a trauma alert and the patient needs, say, O-negative blood, the volunteer is the person who retrieves it,” Kiehlmeier says. “The volunteers also transport patients to receive CAT scans and x-rays, but the most exciting part is observing what happens when a trauma patient comes in.”
Kiehlmeier, who is majoring in biology at Rutgers–Camden, says she’s inspired by watching the doctors and the experience has reinforced her desire to apply to medical school.
“I’ve seen all kinds of patients and you get to interact with the doctors a lot,” she says. “It’s cool to watch how they handle different situations. As a volunteer, you’re really trying to determine what type of doctor you want to be and this has made me interested in becoming an emergency medicine physician. Med school is a big commitment and it’s important to get exposure to the medical field through a volunteer program like this one.”
Students in the premed volunteer program participate in two 13-week sessions. During the fall semester, Kiehlmeier spent 13 weeks on the medical/surgical floor. This semester, she is in the emergency department.
“It’s a good experience and it’s a stepping stone to other jobs like doing research under one of the doctors,” Kiehlmeier says. “I’d like to move on to something like that once I’m done volunteering.”
Kiehlmeier continues, “Rutgers–Camden gave me the chance to pursue this volunteer opportunity on my own. It was mentioned to me and I took the initiative to find out about it online and apply to the program. I’m grateful for that because it’s helping me to realize what I want to do, which is get into med school.”
Kiehlmeier is just one of several Rutgers–Camden students currently gaining critical hospital experience. Undergraduates Krystyna Chmura, Anna Kudaka, Justin Lee, and David Lour have internships through Cooper University Hospital’s Academic Associate’s Program.
Cooper’s program provides premedical students an opportunity to engage in medical research activities in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Cooper University Hospital. It also allows students a unique opportunity to interact with medical school faculty and support staff, and promotes the development of mentor-mentee relationships with research faculty.
Media Contact: Ed Moorhouse
(856) 225-6759
E-mail: ejmoor@camden.rutgers.edu