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A Doctor's Perspective: Interning with an Orthopedic Surgeon

Chatham Hall
Claudia Mohamed '18 spent her summer shadowing a local orthopedic surgeon in Greensboro, NC. We sat down with her to hear more about her exciting experience.
So, what exactly were you doing this summer? Give us an overview of the work you did, and who you were working for.
This past summer I interned with an orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Joshua Landau at Murphy-Wainer Orthopedic Specialists in Greensboro, NC for about 150 hours. I had the opportunity to shadow everything he did: running operations, making rounds in the hospital, interacting with patients in the clinic, and even coming in late at night for on-call emergency trauma.

What was your favorite part of the experience?
One of the most exciting parts of the experience was seeing how a past case or ailment can be applied to a patient who has just walked in. After a few weeks of shadowing Dr. Landau, I became more familiar with diagnoses, and, eventually, I was able to recognize some orthopedic problems by looking at x-rays and MRIs. Sometimes Dr. Landau would turn to me and discuss what he had found on the x-ray. When I correctly deduced what I thought was going on, it was the best feeling in the world!

What is one takeaway from the summer that you will never forget?
I will never forget the first operation I witnessed. It was a total hip replacement, and I thought it was absolutely the coolest thing I had ever seen. I couldn’t stop talking about it to all of my friends. I couldn’t understand why they were grossed out! That was when I knew surgery was the field for me.

How do you plan on using what you've learned in the future?
Shadowing Dr. Landau, I learned a lot about interacting with all kinds of people and I greatly admire his ability to support the needs of every patient that walks through his door. This summer definitely strengthened my anatomy and biology skills, but I also learned that being a physician means being a support system for your patients, whether emotionally or otherwise.

Do you plan on continuing to study what you've learned in the future?
Definitely! I look forward to continuing to study medicine and biomedical sciences. This experience has given me motivation and excitement for the future of my medical career. I cannot wait to scrub in on my first case, but for now, I really appreciated learning from Dr. Landau and all of the other great doctors around me.
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800 Chatham Hall Circle  •  Chatham, VA 24531
+1 434.432.2941  •  admissions@chathamhall.org
Day and boarding school for girls grades 9-12 in the Episcopal tradition.

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