Millburn-Short Hills Magazine Spring 2019

HIS STUDENTS SEE HOW THE HOSPITAL’S OPERATIONS COME TOGETHER “This really pulls back the curtain to a hospital,” Sales says of the pro- gram, which essentially reveals the challenges behind the scenes where, many times, lives are in the balance. Thirty-ﬁve students applied for 15 spots for the inaugural year of 2010. Today, more than 300 apply each year, with 17 making the cut. The surgeon seeks a mix of interns from two-year and four-year colleges, as well as those from different socioeco- nomic backgrounds. Students inter- ested in related ﬁelds, such as public health administration or pharmaceu- ticals, are also welcome to apply. Most of the interns call New Jersey home, but they attend colleges and universities across the nation. HE HAS A PRACTICAL REASON FOR CHOOSING 17 STUDENTS Sales interviews 50 ﬁnalists via Skype. Why does the program choose 17? “That’s how many ﬁt around the table” during group sessions, he says. DR. SALES WANTS THE STUDENTS TO FIND OUT IF THE MEDICAL FIELD IS RIGHT FOR THEM OSIP takes place throughout June, with Cathy Sales doing the scheduling. It starts with a Friday orientation, going over the basics of infection prevention, sterilization, patient rights and security. The stu- dents gather for a lecture each morn- ing from Monday to Thursday, then spend the rest of the day shadowing a mentor who is a surgeon, nurse, social worker or administrator. The interns ﬁnd out what medical specialty suits them, but more impor- tantly, they see ﬁrst-hand the profes- sion’s frustrations and achievements, and whether this demanding career matches their lifestyles. BEST PRACTICES Top, Dr. Sales scrubs in with intern Margaret Deary, a graduate of Millburn High School and then-junior at Johns Hopkins University; above left, a student observes doctor-patient interactions; above right, a student witnesses a surgical procedure. People don’t get sick between 9 and 5, he says. Students ask themselves if they can balance being a mom and neurosurgeon, or a dad and cardiologist, and whether being a doctor is worth four years of college, four years of medical school and a residency. “It’s trying to understand some of the humanistic parts of what being a physician is like,” the surgeon says. DOCTORS OFTEN TELL HIM THAT THE PROGRAM IS TOO SHORT “A common complaint from doctors is ‘You didn’t give us enough days,’” Sales says. It’s one thing to interact with patients and perform procedures day after day; it’s another thing to add time explaining to a student why you did what you did. The students’ questions chal- lenge the professionals, says Sales. “It brings back why you pushed the button you pushed 20 years ago.” STUDENTS TELL HIM THAT EXPERIENCES STAY WITH THEM AS THEY PURSUE THEIR CALLING Each week concludes with a Friday lecture, including presentations on the business of medicine, applying to medical school, and death and dying, followed by a discussion about intern experiences. “Every week, someone saw a birth, someone saw a death, and everything in between,” Sales says. “Every day was different,” says Haley Volk Solomon, who started pursuing her medical interests as a high school cadet on the Millburn- Short Hills Volunteer First Aid Squad. Solomon, who interned in the ﬁrst year of Overlook’s program, can trace her time in the hospital’s psychiatric unit to her Match Day at Marian University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine. She is in her second-year psychiatric residency at the Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, afﬁliated with Harvard Medical School. ■ MILLBURN & SHORT HILLS MAGAZINE SPRING 2019 23

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