Summer 2013 has come to an end. Wow, I needed to actually write that out to reinforce it to myself because I've been in denial. Yup, breaks my heart to say summer is over. But on the bright side, now I've transitioned completely to the fall semester, which means getting back down to senior year business!
Before I go back to blogging about my senior year shenanigans, I wanted to reminisce the last summer of my undergraduate education. After all, I have been AWOL all summer and I should share what I've been up to.
Throwback to March 2013: I remember the panic and frenzy in the college air as everyone began organizing their summer plans and internships. I, of course, was sucked into it too, and was keen on making my summer a memorable yet fruitful one. After exploring several options, I decided I wanted to get a sneak peek into the corporate world of healthcare, to see a different side of health than the one I was used to seeing: hospital and research environments. It would put my public health and biology knowledge to the test and challenge me to go beyond into the unfamiliar territory of business and corporate life.
I did an internship in healthcare communications and medical education in Singapore, and if you ask me to put it in a line, I would say, "It indeed was a summer well spent."
Another day of summer as an intern
There is a whole new world out there that I was able to discover using what I'm pursuing in college. Healthcare communications and medical education firms assist pharmaceutical companies and several other health sector-related companies and public holdings in launching and marketing their drugs and products. They also create educational materials for the public such as patient leaflets and organizing worldwide research symposiums on leading healthcare topics of research. The reach is limitless and the scope is continually expanding. As the team's intern, I had the opportunity to assist in client servicing, medical writing of content, social media engagement, and get a hands-on experience in public relations and marketing in healthcare.
I'll be blogging more about what I learned this summer in the world of medical education and healthcare communications but I have to say that this internship provided me with a window to a whole new world of healthcare. There are a multitude of aspects to healthcare: hands-on research, marketing, management, business, administration, and caregivers. This summer helped me realize the importance of how these aspects are all intertwined and work together to provide good healthcare and public health education while furthering medical research.
As a senior, I'm just going to say this: It is never too late to push yourself to go above and beyond your familiar comfort zone, you'll be surprised at what you find, how much it appeals to you and how your college education can prepare you for it. I've come out of my internship having learned more about not only my areas of interest, but also about general business strategies, interacting with professionals from all walks of life, and yes . . . even about public relations, social media, and the use of branding and advertising (the company I worked for is also a PR and advertising firm and I worked on the same floor!). All walks of life and professional sectors tie together and a holistic world view definitely helps in this case. And of course, you meet other co-workers, interns, etc., making new friends and learning from each and every single one of them. This world has a lot to offer, you just have to go out into it and seek the opportunities.
So go reach for the stars, it is not impossible.
Innovative and hilarious goodbye presents from the team!
Team picture!