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There’s no substitute for hands-on experience, whether the learning lab is connected to a class or outside of it in the working world. ‘Berg students are encouraged to complete internships as a way to prepare them for their careers, further develop their skills and begin to network for their futures. This week, we feature five students who completed internships that will help them take the next step after graduation.

Junior Heather Ule met Jonas, her German boyfriend of seven years, when he was a high school exchange student. They’ve maintained their long-distance relationship over the years, with Heather visiting as often as possible in the summers.

This summer took on an added element of importance, though, because Heather was completing a four-week internship at St. Joseph’s Stift Krankenhaus (hospital) in Bremen, Germany. The internship was an ideal complement to her health science major and (of course!) her German minor.

The hospital divided Heather’s internship into four blocks and assigned her to a different department for each of them. She spent the first week in physical therapy, learning how to operate the equipment and interacting with the various patients who came to the hospital for PT. The emergency room was next. There, Heather learned tasks such as doing EKGs, taking temperature and blood pressure. Although she also learned what doctors look for when reading X-rays, she knows for sure the ER is not for her.

“That week taught me that I definitely don’t want to be in the ER,” she said.

The third week working with newly diagnosed patients in the diabetic unit was by far Heather’s favorite. “Along with the two primary women in charge, we met with patients and consulted with them about how to live with diabetes” Heather explained. “For some of them, it was very emotional to learn how their lives needed to change. Some of them were in denial.”

For the final week, the krankenhaus let Heather choose one of the departments to return to; naturally, she chose the diabetes unit, where she continued to sit in on patient sessions and help monitor the success with their lifestyle changes. She also revisited PT and participated in swim courses with new moms and their babies.

Heather put her bilingual skills to good use, too. Fluent in German, the krankenhaus also asked her to translate documents. “In Germany, there’s a large influx of refugees, so that was part of my job, too. I enjoyed it a lot,” she said.

While Heather learned she does not want an ER job, she did decide one important factor based on her experience. “Within the medical field, I know that I want to work hands on with patients.”