Academic Internships
Contact Information
Academic Internships, Mentoring, and Service Learning
Joe Pastino, Director
Phone: (973) 290-4204
jpastino@steu.edu
Congratulations to Anna Popola!
Saint Elizabeth University’s Office of Career Services praises Anna on the successful
completion of her Internship in Emergency Medicine at Morristown Medical Center. Throughout
her internship, she developed valuable experience in a dynamic clinical environment,
consistently demonstrating professionalism, compassion, and a deep commitment to patient
care.
Experiential learning opportunities like our Internship in Emergency Medicine are
essential in preparing students for careers in healthcare, bridging academic learning
with real-world practice. We thank Morristown Medical Center for their partnership
in supporting the next generation of healthcare professionals. We look forward to
seeing all that lies ahead for Anna as she continues her journey at SEU and beyond!
By: Anna Popola
During the Fall 2025 semester, I had the privilege of completing an internship shadowing physicians in the Emergency Department at Morristown Medical Center. This experience has introduced me to the fast-paced environment of emergency medicine and has allowed me to get an in depth look at what working in emergency medicine entails. As someone who is passionate about entering the medical field, observing emergency medicine physicians has given me valuable insight to clinical decision making and different aspects of patient care.
I was excited to explore emergency medicine for the first time, knowing that it would expose me to a fast-paced environment that required quick decision making and adaptability. I was able to observe how emergency medicine operates unlike any other speciality I was familiar with, requiring physicians to respond rapidly to situations while making critical decisions in a short amount of time.
Throughout my internship, I was able to see how physicians evaluate a wide variety of patients, from minor injuries and illnesses to more serious situations. I got to observe how emergency physicians gather patient histories, perform physical examinations, and collaborate with other team members to come up with the best treatment options for patients. Witnessing this type of clinical decision making has helped strengthen my understanding of how concepts learned in the textbooks are applied in real life medical situations.
One of the most important aspects that I gained from this experience is learning the importance of communication and collaboration in healthcare. Emergency medicine relies heavily on teamwork, and I got to see how communication and collaboration among healthcare professionals are essential to providing effective patient care. I also observed how physicians communicate their medical advice to patients and their families, balancing both honesty and empathy during high stress moments.
This internship also allowed me to understand the emotional resilience that is required to work in healthcare. Some shifts involved emotionally challenging situations, requiring physicians to remain calm and composed while treating patients. Watching different providers demonstrate both professionalism and compassion was inspiring to me as I hope to develop these types of skills myself one day.
Overall, my internship at Morristown Medical Center was an amazing experience that reinforced my passion for medicine. I am incredibly grateful to Saint Elizabeth University for helping me find this opportunity and also to the physicians and staff of the Emergency Department for allowing me to learn from them. This experience has strengthened my motivation to continue to pursue a career in medicine and has provided me with a strong foundation as I continue to work towards my future goals.
Click here to read about Melissa’s experience.
“I am thankful to Saint Elizabeth University for helping me be able to find an internship that would help me in both my psychology major and my art minor which will eventually tie together in my goals of being an art therapist. It also helped strengthen which age group I would want to work with, because therapists tend to take on plenty of different clients of different ages.”