“I plan on going to medical school to become a neurologist,” says Randolph-Macon College student Chelsea Daniels ’17. The St. Augustine, Florida native and behavioral neuroscience major is well on her way to making that happen. Knowing that hands-on experience can help her achieve her career goals, she recently completed a January Term (J-term) internship.

Daniels, who transferred from Sweetbriar College to RMC in 2015, interned at the Center for Neurorehabilitation Services (CNS) in Richmond, Virginia. CNS provides medical services for individuals who have sustained brain injury as a result of trauma, stroke, infection or other causes. Daniels worked under the guidance of President and Medical Director Gregory O’Shanick, M.D and Physician Assistant Madison Moore Brown ’11.

Photos: Center for Neurorehabilitation Services

Training and Mentorship
Daniels arranged her internship with the help of RMC Psychology Professor Susan Parker and the Bassett Internship program. Randolph-Macon’s Bassett program provides students the resources to identify and pursue academic, paid, or volunteer internships in any career field. Interning at CNS was face-paced and rewarding, says Daniels.

“I shadowed doctors and nurses and observed the course of treatment for those who have suffered traumatic brain injuries,” says Daniels. “I also observed new-patient evaluations, attended follow-up appointments, and participated in the therapy program that CNS offers.”

At RMC, Brown majored in psychology with an emphasis on neuroscience—and she did an internship with O’Shanick. She graduated from Eastern Virginia Medical School’s Physician Assistant program in 2015, after which she accepted a job with O’Shanick.

“Chelsea and I are similar in our educational backgrounds, and her goals are very similar to what mine were while I was at RMC,” says Brown. “During Chelsea’s internship, it was great to connect with her about Randolph-Macon: classes, professors, mentors. The internship program at RMC really propelled my career and I was excited to be a part of Chelsea’s internship experience. Dr. O’Shanick and I encouraged her to ask questions and to dig a little deeper in researching some of our more unusual cases.”

O’Shanick says, “Providing an opportunity for students early in their careers to work with a team of committed brain injury medicine professionals allows us to attract the best and brightest to this subspecialty. It also gives students the opportunity to experience what it takes to develop a strong therapeutic alliance with patients who have experienced a concussion and its aftereffects.”

From Goals to Career Preparation
“To say that my internship prepared me for my career is an understatement,” says Daniels, who reaches goals of another kind as a soccer player for the Yellow Jackets. I learned how to interact in a caring and empathetic yet professional way with patients. It was my first test at learning to feel comfortable when discussing difficult topics with patients. It also taught me how to work within a team. There are a lot of moving parts, and yet we all collaborated.”

RMC Internships
J-term internships offer a real-world setting for connecting academic learning with the workplace. RMC’s Edge Career Center and dedicated faculty assist students in finding the perfect internship opportunity.

The Edge is an intensive four-year program that prepares students for life after college. Located within The Edge Career Center, it gives students a competitive advantage in the job market or graduate-school admissions process. Workshops, internships, one-on one advising, a career and networking Boot Camp, and a host of other resources ensure that students who graduate from RMC are lifelong learners who can think critically and adapt to new situations.

More than 130 students participated in J-term 2016 internships, shadowing professionals and gaining experience at a wide variety of businesses and non-profits, including: Genworth Financial, Bon Secours Richmond Health Systems, Goodwill of Central Virginia, and McGuireWoods. RMC’s Bassett Internship program offers academic credit and connects students with tailor-made internships to explore a wide range of career fields in various locations. Students can also choose from a variety of paid or volunteer internship opportunities.