How did I able to get an Research Internship at a Hospital 🏥💡

Introduction

Hi, ✋😃 thanks for stopping by and reading this blog! In this post, I’ll share my journey of how, as a first-year Psychology major and a second-year Computer Science major, I was able to land an internship at a hospital. Stay tuned to learn about the steps I took, the challenges I faced, and the strategies that helped me secure this opportunity!

Background 📖-

Around mid-July, I became deeply obsessed with finding a role that aligned with both my interests and knowledge. I wanted to contribute to something meaningful and impactful, so I began researching opportunities. I explored how many people were seeking research roles and where I could fit in. As a dual major student, I was open to any research position related to human psychology and AI, eager to apply my skills in a way that truly made a difference. As I told you, I wanted to work on something impactful that would provide me with hands-on experience.

  • 🔎 My goals:✅ Gain practical research experience 🧠
  • ✅ Work on a project related to healthcare & data 📊
  • ✅ Enhance my analytical and problem-solving skills 🛠️

Applying for the Internship 📝

I was obsessed and eager to do some research work when I stumbled upon a LinkedIn post titled “Looking for RA” 🔍. Without a second thought, I jumped in 🚀.

They were looking for candidates with an educational background in psychology 🧠 and some knowledge of data analysis 📊. Luckily, I was confident in my skills! So, I applied for the internship by sending my resume and a cover letter via email ✉️.

After a week of anxious waiting, I received an email saying that my resume was shortlisted 🎉, and I was invited for an interview!

Before that, I kept thinking, “No one is going to hire me… why would they?” 😔. But then I realized—there are so many opportunities out there 🌍!

I still remember that I had an engineering semester exam the next day 🎓, so I was super nervous 😬. But somehow, they saw something in me that I couldn’t even see in myself 🤯.

As an introvert 🤐, I felt out of place at first—especially since I was the only guy on the team 👦💼. But this experience taught me so much and pushed me out of my comfort zone 🚀!

What did I learn during my Research Internship at a Hospital 📊🔬

During my internship at a hospital, I learned how to work in a clinical setting. I also learned how to work with patients and how to conduct research. I learned how to analyze data. I also learned how to work with a team and how to communicate effectively with others.

Working as a RA to love for child/infant and study about them more

I had the incredible opportunity to work on how infants and young children think and perceive the world 🧠👶. I was working under Dr. Madhavilatha Maganti-Kari at the Infant and Child Development – Emerging Minds Lab, focusing on early cognitive development.

Our team successfully conducted eye-tracking trials for the MB2 project, studying infants up to 24 months 👀📊.

What made this experience even more exciting was that I had never realized how fascinating and fun it could be to study infants and young children! 🤩✨

Lets First understand what is Child development?

Child development stages refer to the different phases of growth and learning that children go through from infancy to adulthood. Various psychologists and theorists have proposed models to explain these stages. Here are some of the most well-known ones:

  1. Jean Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory (1896–1980) 🧠 Piaget proposed that children go through four stages of cognitive development, each with different ways of thinking and understanding the world.
  • Sensorimotor Stage (0–2 years) 👶: Learning through sensory experiences and motor activities.
  • Preoperational Stage (2–7 years) 🎭: Development of language and imagination but egocentric thinking.
  • Concrete Operational Stage (7–11 years) 🔢: Logical thinking begins, understanding of conservation and classification.
  • Formal Operational Stage (12+ years) 🤔: Abstract and hypothetical thinking develop.
  1. Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Development Theory (1902–1994) ❤️: Erikson identified eight stages of psychosocial development, each marked by a key conflict that shapes personality. Some key stages include:
  • Trust vs. Mistrust (0–1 year) 🤱: Learning to trust caregivers.
  • Autonomy vs. Shame & Doubt (1–3 years) 🚶: Developing independence.
  • Initiative vs. Guilt (3–6 years) 🎭: Taking initiative in activities.
  • Industry vs. Inferiority (6–12 years) 🏫: Gaining competence in skills.
  • Identity vs. Role Confusion (12–18 years) 🤯: Forming a sense of identity.

  1. Lev Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory (1896–1934) 🌍: Vygotsky emphasized the role of social interaction in cognitive development. His key concept was the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), which describes the gap between what a child can do alone and what they can achieve with guidance.

  2. Sigmund Freud’s Psychosexual Development Theory (1856–1939)💭: Freud proposed that personality develops through five psychosexual stages, focusing on pleasure-seeking behaviors in different body areas (oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital).

  3. Lawrence Kohlberg’s Moral Development Theory (1927–1987) ⚖️: Kohlberg expanded on Piaget’s work and outlined three levels of moral reasoning:

  • Preconventional (Childhood) 🚸: Obedience and self-interest.
  • Conventional (Adolescence) 🏛️: Following social rules.
  • Postconventional (Adulthood, if reached) ⚖️: Abstract ethical principles.

Each of these theories provides a unique perspective on how children develop cognitively, emotionally, and socially

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