Nick Oyer '26

April 10, 2023

About the internship

The St. James hospital resides in a high poverty area, and being that healthcare is often so expensive, it is difficult for many who live nearby to afford the services of the hospital. Their mission is to provide high-quality healthcare regardless of background or financial status.

The impact on my career path

I am hoping that this internship will provide me with a good opportunity to truly find an understanding of what I would like to accomplish in the medical field. In other terms, I hope this internship allows me to determine the career paths that I do not want to pursue.

What I hope to learn

The doctors who I will be working with will be of the utmost importance as I progress forward in my time here at Princeton, and hopefully in medical school. They will serve as guides in my journey and excellent mentors that I can rely on for help in the future.

How it relates to my academics/interests

The school district I attended during my high school years often faced socio-economic challenges. While I am thankful to have had the opportunity to go to school there, we often did not have the same resources and opportunities that other schools had. This hospital, St. James, resides in that same community and faces a similar problem that my school district did in that many of the residents often can not afford the high prices of modern healthcare in the United States. Contributing to the community by assisting the physicians at St. James, as well as considering possible solutions to amend the issues that burden much of the American healthcare system would mean the world to me. This internship also provides me the chance to get hands-on medical experience in a wide array of specialties and settings including the operating room and the office setting. It is my hope to attend medical school following my time at Princeton, and this internship will allow me the opportunity to prepare for what will hopefully become a long, rewarding, and fulfilling career in medicine. Furthermore, I will have the opportunity to work with many patients, some of which will come from underrepresented backgrounds. I am eager to work with patients and gain hands-on experience in the clinical setting, especially with those from underrepresented backgrounds, as I believe this will broaden my perspective on medicine and the world around me.
 

The Summer Social Impact Internship (SSII) Fund provides financial support for undergraduate students with eligible summer internships at nonprofit or government organizations. Learn more about the SSII Fund.