Braylee Culver, NOC-Enid pre-engineering major, spent her summer interning at St. Mary’s hospital in the Healthcare Technology management department.
Culver shadowed Troy Wood, a biomedical engineer, to better understand his duties and responsibilities. She inventoried and tagged medical equipment before placing machines with patients. She also retrieved tagged equipment from departments within the hospital
The Enid native said the experience helped her “understand the duties and responsibilities of a biomedical engineer and will help guide my future career planning.”
Before being offered this internship Culver was strongly considering a switch in majors. She feared that without connections to the industry, finding a job would be impossible.
Through the internship, she discovered a passion for this type of work. Culver said, “Everyone knows by now that technology is the future. Biomedical engineering ties technology and medical together, therefore almost always ensuring a job.”
Culver credits the community of employees at St. Mary’s for making the internship such a positive experience. “From day one, I was treated like part of the staff,” said Culver. She participated in meetings, toured the hospital with the regional director, and shadowed employees.
Culver said she was surprised to discover how technologically advanced St. Mary’s was. She was impressed with everything from the pharmacy to the inventory systems.
Culver credits Troy Wood, biomedical engineer, with making the internship such a great experience. Troy taught Braylee that “Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.”
Before beginning the internship, Culver only knew the position would involve medical equipment. She was excited for the opportunity but had never considered this type of position as a future career. Culver said that after the first few hours on the job, she was in love. “I loved the environment, the work, the responsibilities. I can definitely see myself moving forward in this career,” said Culver.
After graduating from NOC, Culver plans to attend UCO and receive a degree in biomedical engineering. She would like to pursue a career with a UHS hospital.
Culver is an Enid native who graduated from Enid High School in 2016.