Sean Collins

Massachusetts General Hospital

Boston, MA

My Experience

I had an externship at Massachusetts General Hospital shadowing the Chief Neurosurgeon there, Dr. Robert Martuza. He took me to grand rounds, where he and other doctors discussed patient cases, to his clinic, where I saw patients with him, to his surgical suite, where I observed him perform a surgery to remove a patient’s brain tumor, and to his Molecular Neurosurgery Research lab. I now have secured a summer internship at his research lab.

How did this experience help you make decisions about your future career?

I knew before this experience that I wanted to become a doctor, and now following it, I feel even more certain about that. Seeing the inner workings of the hospital, observing surgeries, and knowing that this is something I can do, having secured an internship this summer, make me feel much more confident that I can succeed and be happy in this field.

What questions should I ask my sponsor?

The most important things to ask are:

How did you decide this is what you want to do?

How did you get to this point and what helped you get here?

What can I do this summer (and beyond) that will help me get where I want to be?