How can I get an internship for being a clinical microbiologist?
I'm a 9th grader in the Bay Area and very interested in being a clinical microbiologist. I would like to gain experience and knowledge with this field, and I think that an internship would really help. But I don't know how to find one ! #internship #clinical-microbiologist #microbiology
2 answers
Arthur Totten, Ph.D.
Arthur’s Answer
Hi Olivia!
I actually am a microbiologist who works in a clinical diagnostic laboratory! I would say that Ms. Edwards' suggestion for asking about shadowing would be a great one. If I might suggest a specific place, I'd look at asking at a local medical center. A hospital environment will likely have clinical technicians (referred to as "medical technicians / medical technologists" who run most of the assays in the lab. But for finding a clinical microbiologist, your best bet would be to ask about a potential shadowing with a Ph.D. or an M.D. at a research hospital / medical center. These bigger centers have (typically) a Dept of Pathology that has a clinical microbiology certification (a program much like when a doctor becomes a Pediatrician or a Pathologist).
Ask around the University of San Francisco or any university that has a medical center attached and I'd be sure that someone would be able to help you! If you're also interested look into the medical technologists or clinical laboratory technicians, as they do a lot of handling of the patient samples. Most clinicians (or microbiologists) would love to show people around the labs, and typically they love having girls interested in science!
A lot of medical micro labs now work with molecular biology and look at DNA alongside growing the bacteria and viruses, so looking into "in vitro diagnostics" or "molecular microbiology" might help you find something you can search for!
Best of luck and if you need anything else please feel free to contact me!
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LaRita’s Answer
To get a MEDICAL internship you need to be in a college program studying the field you want to intern in.
If you are in high school and interested in seeking knowledge or experience as a clinical microbiologist I would suggest you ask about " shadowing ." When you shadow someone in the medical field it is like an orientation of the job. You follow them for a couple days on the job and they show you everything the job entails. They will also answer any questions you might have about how to get to where they are etc.
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