By Beth Eberth

大学生经常把实习作为缩小职业选择范围的一种方式.

For St. Bonaventure大学的大四学生Isabella " Izzy " Aguilera，它帮助她扩大了视野.

This summer, the health science major from Phoenix, Arizona, 在“微笑行动”教育培训部实习, 一个为儿童和青少年提供免费手术的国际医疗慈善机构 在发展中国家出生时患有唇裂、腭裂或其他面部畸形的成年人.

“微笑行动”动员了包括麻醉师在内的志愿医疗队, surgeons, biomedical technicians, dentists, nurses, 儿科医生和语言病理学家-在世界各地执行手术任务. A cleft is a gap 在怀孕初期没有合上的嘴. As a result, 出生时患有唇裂的孩子可能在嘴唇或上颚有开口，或者两者都有.

“All of Operation Smiles’ medical missions have a training and education component; the organization also does missions that are just education focused,” explained Aguilera, 谁辅修商科，并且是学校的成员 Division I swimming and diving team.

阿奎莱拉在教育和培训部实习时的许多职责都集中在确保志愿者的文书工作和认证工作的完成. She worked most closely with those in the 住院医师领导力计划和接受美国心脏协会培训的人.

住院医师领导项目为住院医师提供麻醉方面的培训, 有机会与经验丰富的“微笑行动”医疗专业人员一起参加医疗项目. In 2003, the 35-year-old charity began partnering 与美国心脏协会合作，作为基础生命支持(BLS)和儿科高级生命支持(PALS)课程的国际培训中心.

Dr. Claire Watson, 他是该校公共卫生项目的助理教授和主任, describes Aguilera as ambitious and compassionate.

“We are fortunate to have her as a Bonnie,” said Watson. “她有一颗巨大的心，并与她的朋友们分享, teammates, peers and those involved with Operation Smile. 这个组织与她关系密切，她欣然接受 opens herself up to those patients. Her ambition to learn more about that organization, their mission, operations, medical staff and patients is admirable.”

阿奎莱拉第一次参与“微笑行动”是在15岁时，当时她参加了该慈善机构为高中生举办的国际学生领导会议，并前往菲律宾进行医疗保健教育任务.

“I knew about their internship program, so I applied back in February, then went through interviews,” she said.

她生来就患有腭裂，这是吸引她加入该组织的原因.

“我觉得我的责任是为那些没有机会做整形手术的人,” she said.

在美国，大多数唇裂在儿童早期就得到修复. 在发展中国家，儿童面临着社会歧视和经济障碍.

“This (surgery) improves their quality of life, allows them to talk, go to school, or socialize,” said Aguilera.

因为她在弗吉尼亚海滩的“微笑行动”总部工作, Virginia, Aguilera not only learned about her department, but all facets of the organization. 她还能在一次活动中亲眼见到医疗志愿者和病人 June surgical mission to Madagascar.

阿奎莱拉作为一名现场记者和摄影师参加了该慈善机构的U-Voice学生大使项目, where she interviewed patients and their families. 在为期10天的旅行中，阿奎莱拉没有和病人交谈 她花了很多时间和手术前后的小组在一起尽可能地吸收一切.

“They let me shadow them, ask questions. I spent a lot of time in the anesthesia unit, 在那里我可以了解手术的所有方面, and ran patients back and forth to the OR,” she said.

阿奎莱拉特别被一个病人感动，一个蹒跚学步的孩子. Bonaventure的学生从女孩最初的筛查到她的手术. 小女孩、她的母亲和哥哥都有腭裂，尽管只有小女孩一个 selected for surgery.

在她的放映过程中，这个女孩很害怕，一直哭个不停，直到她看到阿奎莱拉.

“She stopped crying and smiled. She just bonded with me. 所以我坐在她身边，在手术过程中等着她。”阿奎莱拉说.

她发现和年轻的病人在一起更容易克服语言障碍. Translators were on hand who spoke Malagasy and French, but Aguilera said she found balls, bubbles and hand signals to work just as well.

“It was cool to have that shared experience with them, even though we didn’t speak the same language,” she said.

在马达加斯加，从婴儿到成年人共进行了121次手术. 即使那些没有被选中进行手术的人也要进行健康检查，并可能接受其他药物治疗, such as assistance from doctors who work with patients on feeding strategies.

Aguilera was recruited to attend St. Bonaventure as a member of the swimming and diving team. 除了想要在大学水平潜水，她知道她想要 在医疗保健行业工作，想换个地方，远离亚利桑那州.

In the short term, 她很想在毕业后回到“微笑行动”做项目协调员, 组织任务和旅行，并与无数领域和专业的卫生专业人员合作. In the long term? She’s still not sure. Maybe studies to be a physician assistant or nurse.

“伊兹刚刚开始确定她将在卫生专业领域成为什么样的人, but regardless of her path, 我们将很幸运地将她视为同龄人，因为她全心全意地领导着我们, and that will benefit every patient she interacts with,” Watson said.

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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, 我们相信每个人都是善良的，每个人都有能力做出非凡的事情. St. 博纳旺蒂尔大学培养的是自信和自信的毕业生 creative communicators, collaborative leaders and team members, 以及尊重自己的创新问题解决者, others, and the diverse world around them. 在纽约地区大学价值排名第一，在美国北部排名第二.S. News and World Report, we are establishing pathways to internships, 研究生院和职业在我们著名的文科传统的背景下.