I decided to help out with the Summer Scrubs program this year not just because the organizers asked for more volunteers and I had spare time but also because I was eager to get started on campus and practice cool techniques! I also saw the benefits that a program such as this was providing in our Phoenix community and knew I wanted to be a part of it. Not only did I get to be on campus early on as a new medical student, eager to get started with classes and officially be in the throes of school, but I also got to feel like a mentor and someone they were looking up to and perhaps even aspiring to be.
Summer Scrubs Program – Intubation Station
For me, practicing intubation and IVs felt like the first official steps in my medical education. I felt like in that moment, it became real that this is going to be my life for the next four years. Going into those weeks, I was both excited and eager, but full of nerves, thinking I would just be in the way. All I hoped was that the kids would take me seriously despite the fact that I have not yet received any official training in these techniques. Yet, walking into the room the first day and every day thereafter were these kids just as excited and eager as I was, which made volunteering worthwhile. I suddenly felt inspired at how interested they were in learning from someone who hasn’t even begun classes yet, but the mere fact that I am a medical student was enough for them to want to learn from me. It was inspiring to see how many of them were so enthusiastic about healthcare and had voluntarily given up their time in the summer to come for a week and hear what our professors had to say.
Not only were they full of curiosity and questions about the techniques, but they also asked numerous questions about my journey to medical school and the path I took to get to where I am. I was more than happy to explain my bumpy path, discussing both the successes and failures along the way, ultimately encouraging them to never give up trying and reaching for their goals, just as I had to learn to never up on my own goals. My explanation to them was that the road was long, difficult, and not always full of success, and no, I wasn’t the smartest person in my classes, but I was determined and I worked hard. The best advice that I gave was that they can achieve anything if they really want it, and no one has the power to say that they aren’t good enough.
All of these high school kids genuinely wanted to be spending their week on campus learning, and it made volunteering worthwhile because I could see their desire and determination to pursue careers in healthcare, a feeling that I shared when I was in high school.
Maryam is a Phoenix native but wishes to lived near a beach. She loves traveling and exploring, so ‘adventure’ should be her middle name (but sadly it is not). She received her undergraduate degree from ASU, and now she's at UA - so you could say she now has a conflict of loyalties...