The average medical student will complete eight years of schooling before stepping foot into a hospital. Lulu Johnson, senior and aspiring doctor, is getting a head start.

“I’m hoping [this mentorship] will help me concrete the fact that I really do want to be in medicine,” Johnson said. “It’s a good way for me to experience what a doctor experiences.”

Johnson is in ProPEL, a class designed for juniors and seniors, allowing them to explore a career field of their choice through an in-depth internship.

Johnson will be working in the Emergency Department of Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC).

“I chose to go to HCMC over other places because it’s a bigger hospital, and I knew I would get a bigger variety of people coming in,” Johnson said.

During her time at the hospital, Johnson will be working under the mentorship of Dr. Jeffrey Ho, Director of the Emergency Department.

“I think there is nothing like immersing yourself into something to fully experience it, and Lulu will have the chance to immerse herself into a busy emergency medicine environment at Minnesota’s oldest Level 1 Trauma Center. She will not only discover if she likes or dislikes emergency medicine, but the profession of medicine in general,” Ho said.

At HCMC, Johnson will be able to receive specific training and exposure to real-life emergency situations.

“I can go through some classes for Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs), and I will be able to go in the ambulance with them just to experience it,” Johnson said. “I’ll get to see what [doctors] do and how they treat and categorize the patients that come into the hospital.”

Ho believes that experience is key in discovering what a person wants to do in his or her life.

“It is my belief that the more interesting life experiences a person can gather, especially at a young age, the easier it becomes to determine what they really want to do in life,” Ho said. “Some people grow up and just settle for a job because they do not know anything about other careers. I had many different experiences along the way that helped me determine exactly what I wanted to do when I grew up, and so I never had to just settle for a job I disliked. I love my job and am amazed that I actually get paid to do it.”

Johnson hopes she can share this same passion.

“I chose to do my mentorship in the medical field because it’s the career that I want to go into. It’s something that I think I would really love,” Johnson said.

After college and medical school, Johnson would like to become a pediatric oncologist, a doctor specializing in the treatment of children with cancer. Johnson began her work and learning with Ho on Jan. 6.

“Lulu is organized and bright,” Ho said. “In order to participate with me at HCMC, she has been required to complete a number of things including receiving training in confidentiality. This requirement tends to scare off most people that are wanting to simply come to gawk at what goes on in the hospital and Lulu accomplished all of these things fairly quickly. This indicates to me that she is a motivated person with a high degree of desire to succeed in what she sets out to do.”

For the remainder of the school year, Johnson will spend a minimum of four hours a week at HCMC. If all goes according to her plan, this will be only the beginning of a lasting medical career.