Mentoring Medical Dreams: Cape Girardeau Neurosurgeons Offer Unique Internship

There is no substitute for experience, especially when it comes to the specialized field of neurosurgery. The doctors at Regional Brain & Spine (RBS) recognize this and have created a unique summer internship program that gives talented high school students a hands-on experience and introduction to neurosurgery.

"Looking back at my career, I credit a lot of my passion for surgery and medicine to Dr. Edward Murphy, a neurologist in Houston, TX, who was my mentor and part of the reason why I focused on neurosurgery," said Kevin Vaught, MD, FACS, CIME, a founding partner of RBS and driving force behind the summer internship program. "We're hopeful that giving students this kind of experience will help them continue fostering their interest in medicine and lead them to becoming great surgeons."

The internship program will involve four students from Cape Central High School who have excelled in school and show an interest in specialized areas of medicine such as neuroscience, biochemistry and biomedical science. To be considered for the internship the students had to apply, interview and provide three references. "We felt this was a great opportunity for our students and were honored to present such a wonderful learning experience," said Dr. Mike Cowan.

The students will be present for all aspects of a surgeon's week, including, office consults, patient check-ups and they will end the week on Friday, scrubbing-in and observing a surgery. "We wanted to make sure this internship gave the students an accurate view into the life of a neurosurgeon, showing them everything associated with the profession and how our work impacts the people of our community," said Dr. Vaught. "I was fortunate enough to have a great mentor as a student of medicine, and my associates and I are now fortunate to be able to impart some of our knowledge into those who are just getting started on their medical journey."

For more information on Regional Brain & Spine and their internship program please go to www.regionalbrainandspine.com or call (573) 332-7746.