Launched in 1999, the Health Fellows Program is an innovative academic program offering Trinity students exceptional opportunities to explore healthcare and to participate in a wide range of healthcare-related activities. In addition to their regular coursework, students in the program work 30 hours per week with clinical-care physicians in one-on-one relationships at area medical centers. Students combine challenging course work with rigorous on-site scientific research.
The program is described below in an excerpt from the Trinity College Bulletin and in an article on the program, which appeared in the Trinity Reporter.
Program description
The Trinity College Health Fellows Program is designed for undergraduates who wish to observe and participate in a variety of health-related activities. These activities include research projects, clinical services, educational seminars, and rounds at Hartford Hospital, Institute of Living, and Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. This program will provide students with valuable experience in a healthcare setting and may help guide future career choices. For students interested in a career in medicine, medical colleges are more commonly accepting only those students who have had relevant experience. This type of intensive participation would certainly make Trinity students stand out. For students interested in a career in research, this program would also make them much more desirable to graduate schools. In addition, they will have learned important research skills, both specific to the placement and more general, such as formulating a hypothesis, methods of data collection, and methods of data analysis.
Ordinarily, supervisors at the hospitals will be physicians. Placements will be carefully screened to insure that they will be rigorous while providing students with a stimulating learning experience. All supervisors will be required to provide opportunities to participate in research as well as to observe clinical services. Supervisors will complete a questionnaire which describes their requirements and the possible opportunities at their placement. Each student and supervisor will be matched appropriately.
In addition to working 30 hours per week for a professional in the healthcare setting, each fellow will participate in both a weekly seminar and a colloquium series, for which he or she will receive three course credits. The seminar is valued at one course credit and the clinical experience and colloquium combined at two course credits. Separate grades will be given for the seminar and the combination of clinical experience and colloquium. In some cases one of these course credits will count towards a major, but this is decided by the individual major departments. Students will also take at least one other course at Trinity.
The weekly seminar will cover general topics in health care, including recent advances in research and clinical applications of basic research. Readings will be assigned for a weekly class discussion. Students will be required to make a class presentation based on one of the topics covered in class that is relevant to their hospital experience. Students will also be required to complete a research paper on a topic from the course and to complete three exams. For the colloquium series, supervisors of the student fellows will be asked to give a talk. They will provide appropriate readings to be completed before the talk. The students will attend the talk and discuss the findings as a group afterwards. As part of the site-based experience, students will be required to keep a weekly journal of experiences at the hospital and to present on one clinical case, in the format of a Grand Rounds. They will also be required to produce a written summary of the research they conducted. As much as possible this will take the form of a scientific journal article. This research will also be presented at the Trinity College Science Symposium held each April.
Preference will be given to juniors and seniors, and it is expected that students will have completed two laboratory courses. Some placements will carry specific additional prerequisites. The program will be limited to 15 students. It is strongly recommended that "Medical Ethics" be taken either beforehand or concurrent with the internship. Some background in science will be strongly encouraged. Interested students should contact the Health Fellows coordinator in September. Matches between interested students and supervisors will be completed by November. Students will begin work at the hospital with the start of classes in January. Students who participate in their junior year should bear in mind the option of remaining on site to complete a senior thesis.
Click here to read a related article from the Trinity Reporter (Winter 2000).
Click here to read a related article from the The Trinity Tripod (Spring 2002).