Title: SEARCH Scholars Internship Program
Jayden Ruiz is a fourth year Choose Ohio First (COF) Innovators for a New STEMM Workforce (INSW-Science) scholar majoring in Biochemistry with a minor in Pharmaceutical Sciences at The Ohio State University. She is pursuing a career in medicine and has grown an interest in pediatrics following her 2023 summer internship at Nationwide Children's Hospital. She was selected to be one of three undergraduate interns for the Summer Education and Research in Clinical Healthcare (S.E.A.R.C.H.) Internship Program at Nationwide Children's Hospital (NCH). The internship was 6 weeks long and consisted of 2-week rotations in the areas of Cardiology, Primary Care, and Health Equity.
She had the opportunity to shadow physicians in all three rotations and got 1:1 time to ask questions and learn more about their journey through medicine. Aside from shadowing, she was able to learn more about the Columbus community through trips with her supervisors and fellow interns. Throughout her internship, Jayden was also able to find elective shadowing experiences aside from those in the mentioned rotations including research, hematology/oncology/BMT, and cardiothoracic surgery. Some of her favorite experiences include shadowing cardiothoracic surgery, spending time in the cardiology clinic, and playing with kids at Play Streets. At the end of the program, she presented on her experience in the NCH Stecker Auditorium. This experience taught her important lessons about patient autonomy, a physician’s day-to-day life, the importance of exploring specialties within medicine, and the significance of equitable health care opportunities.
COF has allowed me to find interests outside of just my academic studies. Taking part in the Metro tutoring and WOW programs allowed me to find a passion in teaching and working with children. The lessons I learned during these programs have steered me to become a TA here at Ohio State and was a reason I applied for the SEARCH program at Nationwide Children's Hospital. Without this scholarship program, I may not have gotten my job or gained an interest in a pediatric specialty.