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Zacchariah Spencer ’25, a Pre-Med and Biology major, recently interned with the Emergency Department, completing 10-hour shifts and disrupting sleep to learn everything he could about the profession he aspires to. Spencer, like many who choose to become emergency medicine doctors, wants to help people. But he has an added ambition. A young father, he’s eager to be in a profession that will provide for his infant daughter Ariah as she grows up.
When Spencer transferred to EC from Corning Community College in 2023, he knew he would need to complete an internship and wanted it to be meaningful for his career goals. He began by reaching out to Melanie Moon, Coordinator of Career Services and Community Engagement, in the Office of Career Services. He also reached out to his mother, who coordinates residencies for third and fourth-year students at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. Both reached out to Arnot Health and connected Spencer with Dr. Dylan Kellogg, an emergency medicine physician.
“He told me to come in whenever I can,” explained Spencer. And that’s what Spencer did.
He covered a variety of shifts depending on his schedule, including overnight shifts on the weekends.
His role was to observe.
“I wasn’t allowed to provide care to the patients but I was able to watch procedures closely.”
In one instance, Spencer observed a resident doctor, two attending doctors, and multiple nurses restore a patient’s dislocated shoulder to its normal position. The procedure took more than an hour.
“It was a long process. They started by holding the person’s arm still and then slowly rotated it. They try to relocate the shoulder without medication but sometimes the pain is too much. It can be a quick procedure, but often it isn’t.”
Spencer observed how a doctor used an ultrasound to place an intravenous, or IV, if no one is able to find the patient’s vein. He got to see the difference between a vein and an artery. He also was present when a few patients arrived in cardiac arrest.
Beyond shadowing and observing, Spencer typed patient notes, reviewed lab results, and asked questions.
“The ER was very fast-paced but the residents and attendees were open to teaching and answering questions. They also worked with medical students while I was there and I would often overhear their questions, which was nice because we could learn from each other.”
Seeing the medical treatments was exciting but Spencer said that observing softer skills, like the way the staff interacted with patients or how residents reported information to doctors, were just as valuable.
“I learned how important teamwork is. The doctors, nurses, and patients had to work closely together.”
Spencer is also grateful for the network he built.
“A residency in the Elmira area would be good when I am in medical school. Arnot is ideal because residents get to do more given the smaller staff.”
While completing a residency is a few years away, Spencer is looking forward to the next milestone on his journey to becoming a doctor. In May, he’ll graduate with a Bachelor of Science as his daughter Ariah cheers him on.
