Interns in the Health Career Opportunity Program at NYU Langone Health work alongside world-renowned specialists in their fields. The number of health fields students can participate in changes every year. This year’s specialties are as follows.

Anesthesiology

Students receive daily assignments in the operating room covering several surgical specialties, including cardiology, otolaryngology, pediatrics, plastic surgery, and urology. Students learn about anesthesia and how to safely prepare patients for surgery, as well as reviewing x-rays and engaging in case discussions. They are expected to read about cases the night before surgery to maximize the learning experience. Under an attending anesthesiologist’s supervision, students also give a case presentation to a small group of department members.

Intensive Care Unit

Intensive care units (ICUs) specialize in the care of patients with various conditions that require constant treatment and continuous monitoring. Students placed in an ICU observe all staff members: physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, respiratory therapists, and others. They attend rounds and meetings and participate in a dynamic department that offers care to our most vulnerable patients. Interns are also able to observe bedside procedures. The following three ICUs are open for application: Coronary Critical Care and Neurocritical Care ICUs at Kimmel Pavilion and the Critical Care Medicine ICU at NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn.

Clinical Nutrition and Food Services

Students divide their time between shadowing nutritionists and working in our food service facilities. While shadowing nutritionists, students have the opportunity to observe the entire medical team during rounds and conferences. They also learn how to read charts, conduct patient interviews, and offer nutritional counseling. While working in our food service facilities, students can help prepare food as well as assist in conducting taste test evaluations with the food service team. Students in the past have had the opportunity to co-write a newsletter with dietitians.

Creative Arts Therapy

Students work with music, art, and recreational therapists in various clinical settings and participate in creative arts therapy sessions with both adult and pediatric patients to help develop their motor functioning, verbal skills, cognitive functioning, emotional well-being, and more. Patients may be recovering from a stroke, traumatic brain injury, spinal surgery, genetic condition, or other conditions. Students get to learn how to use a variety of artistic mediums to guide a patient through recovery, while interacting closely with patients to provide support.

Emergency Medicine

Throughout the course of eight weeks, students rotate in different NYU Langone Emergency Departments throughout the city. Students receive exposure in several specialties, including social work, internal medicine, stroke, orthopedic immediate care, and sports medicine through shadowing, conversations and more. Those who choose this specialty must commit to Sessions Two and Three.

Harkness Center for Dance Injuries

Students obtain exposure to various careers in dance medicine, including orthopedic surgery, physical therapy, athletic training, education, and not-for-profit arts and healthcare administration. Students participate in many on- and off-site clinical programs, injury prevention assessments and workshops, and continuing education offerings.

Horticultural Therapy

Students sit in with horticultural therapists and experience direct patient contact during individual, group, and co-treatment sessions with pediatric and adult patients using therapy assisted by plants and animals. They also learn to help therapists use charts to track patient goals and progress.

Neurology

Students experience what it is to be a neurology resident. During the four weeks spent at NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn, students work with neurology residents and faculty on the neurology inpatient ward and the neurology consultation service, where they participate in rounds, learn about the neurologic exam, and meet a diverse patient population. In addition, students attend daily didactic lectures and present, under the guidance of a supervising faculty, on a neurologic topic of their choice.

Nursing

Students shadow a nurse practitioner or a group of staff nurses, depending on their assignment, and gain insights on their interactions with inpatients, outpatients, doctors, and other healthcare professionals. Students learn about various medications and procedures in a specialized nursing setting.

Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant

Students shadow a nurse practitioner or physician assistant and observe provider handoff between shifts, patient rounds, and patient care at different phases of the patient care experience at admission, during inpatient stays, and at discharge. They observe patient assessment, diagnosis, and treatment processes and gain insight into the intricacies of the interactions between patients and these advanced practice providers (APPs). They also learn how APPs interact with other healthcare clinicians, such as nurses, social workers, and physicians to optimize patients’ plan of care. Students leave the experience with a clear understanding of the role of nurse practitioners and physician assistants in the inpatient environment.

Occupational Therapy

Students observe and assist occupational therapists during treatment sessions with patients and rotate between different subunits in the department. They also help therapists prepare materials and equipment needed for patient treatment.

Pharmacy

Students shadow pharmacists and pharmacy technicians and observe them performing various tasks in an inpatient setting. By working in a hospital pharmacy and retail division, students perform a broad range of diverse job roles. Students may also be assigned to observe a clinical pharmacotherapist on rounds.

Physical Therapy

Students observe and assist physical therapists during sessions with patients every day and help prepare materials and equipment needed for patient treatment. Depending on availability, students may be placed in a number of subspecialties, including pediatric, adult, inpatient, outpatient, acute, cardiac, pulmonary, and vestibular physical therapy.

Psychology

Students may participate in group cognitive and interpersonal remedial training sessions and, under appropriate supervision, give structured feedback to patients. Students also assist staff in preparing program training materials, conduct literature searches, and enter data into spreadsheets for ongoing research projects.

Rehabilitation Medicine

Students attend rounds and conferences alongside attending physicians and residents and learn about physical medicine and rehabilitation. They attend therapy sessions across various subspecialties (such as physical therapy and exercise physiology) as well as track progress for patients on a daily and weekly basis.

Research

Under appropriate supervision, students assist healthcare professionals who are conducting research projects with data entry, data processing, literature searches, some writing of research protocol, and basic statistics in the lab of JohnRoss Rizzo, MD. Students must commit to at least two sessions and can choose between the first two sessions and the second two sessions.

Orthopedic Hand Surgery

Students observe and follow surgical teams over the course of many surgical and nonsurgical procedures. While four days of the week will be spent in the office observing pre-op, post-op, and follow-up appointments, the student will observe surgeries in the OR once weekly.

Social Work and Care Management

Students shadow a social worker during meetings with inpatients and outpatients, and learn how to assess clients and write summaries and comments about the patients they meet. Students can also practice counseling and evaluation with staff members who role-play as patients.

Speech–Language Pathology and Swallowing

Students observe speech therapy sessions and help perform evaluative procedures such as modified barium swallows, fiberoptic evaluation of swallowing, and comprehensive rehabilitation standards through a daily in-service training. Students may have the opportunity to observe pediatric and adult cases.

Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling

Students observe vocational counselors as they assist patients who have injuries or disabilities and who plan to pursue academic goals or enter or return to the workforce. Students help organize patient charts, score exams, and add job opportunities to the database.