Pella Christian student completes internship at Skiff

Allie Groenenboom, a senior at Pella Christian High School who plans to someday become a physician, recently concluded a rigorous internship at the Newton hospital, where she got to experience a wide variety of specialties and areas of medicine.

“I loved surgery,” she said. “I spent time in the OR with general surgeon Dr. Dominic Formaro, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Ron Charles and plastic surgeon Dr. Bryan Folkers.  It was fascinating to watch not only the procedures from beginning to end, but to see how each doctor runs his surgical service differently.”

Groenenboom also enjoyed her time in the Philips Imaging Center at Skiff, and described her shift in the Emergency Department as “intense.”  Rotations through the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation department, as well as on the Med-Surg floor, were also eye-opening.  “The people were so friendly and I admire what they do, but it helped me to see which areas I would or wouldn’t want to pursue for my own career.”

While she certainly has time to change her mind – after completing four years of undergrad as a biology major at the University of Iowa, she will then have four years of medical school and at least three years of residency ahead of her – Groenenboom currently is looking toward pediatrics as a potential field.

“I absolutely love working with children,” she said.

Oncology, the treatment of cancer, is another area of medicine that is near and dear to her heart; perhaps too near, in fact, to make it her future job.

“My mom died of cancer when I was in seventh grade,” Groenenboom said.  “I spent a lot of time in hospitals during that period and it showed me what a difference doctors and other health-care providers make in people’s lives.  That’s what put me on this path in the first place.  I am really interested in oncology, but I think it would be too hard emotionally.  It would be such a challenge to take care of people fighting cancer, because some of them won’t make it.”