Florida Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — As an intern in the UF Health Pediatric Emergency Department this past fall, there were some places Ashley Pietra was not permitted to go and some things she was not permitted to see. 

In the ER, however, sometimes things just happen, regardless of guidelines. 

Like the day when a woman in labor was brought in and didn't make it to the elevator — much less the maternity ward — before giving birth. Attendants and doctors rushed to the scene, as the baby crowned right there in the hallway. Pietra was on hand to see it all. 

"It shouldn't be in their job description to deliver a baby right there in the ER," said Pietra, a senior biology major and backup goalie for the Florida soccer team said. "But that's what the cards dealt that day." 

What a hand it was for Pietra, as well. She never imagined the real-life experiences promised from the University Athletic Association Summer Internship Program could be this real. 

Pietra was one of 17 student-athletes to take part in the program's third annual turn, this one in partnership with UF Health. The 2020 version, though, had to be tweaked, with a push to the fall due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So instead of a summer internship — normally the offseason for all sports — these Gators pulled double-duty during the fall semester, balancing academics and interning, and in a couple instances (like Pietra) also had to mix in their athletic responsibilities and competition. 

Once again, though, the UAA program delivered. 
 

"It just grows every year, with participants passing it along to their teammates and illustrating how they can get involved," Allison Forrest, a coordinator in career development at the Hawkins Center said. "It's experiential learning that they need for their future careers — what they want to do in their next journey — and every year I'm blown away with how much they grow personally and professionally in their chosen fields." 

Credit the NCAA which in 2017 adopted legislation that allowed student-athletes to participate in internship and study-abroad programs in an attempt to enhance educational experience and preparation for graduation, without affecting their eligibility. 

In the case of these 17 Gator participants, having a resource like UF Health Shands teaching hospital campus proved invaluable, as each of the student-athletes who chosen for the program were seeking degrees in health care.

"UF Health is a proud member of the Gator family. We have been in partnership with Gator Athletics for several years through a creative internship program," UF Health Shands Hospital CEO Ed Jimenez said. "For us, it gives student-athletes a behind-the-scenes look into the health care environment and provides our departments with goal-oriented interns who understand teamwork and achieving goals. At the beginning of the semester, we learn their interests and match them with the most appropriate department so they can gain experience and decide if that's the field they want to pursue as a career. Helping to shape the future of health care is part of our mission at UF Health."

This fall, eight of UF's 21 sports were represented and dispatched to several departments including the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Pediatric Oncology, Clinical Nutrition, Orthopedics and Internal Medicine departments. Each student-athlete not only was required to work shifts, but execute a project. 

For example: 

"Honestly, I'd always been scared of hospitals, but the experience was so interesting and I got to see so many things I'd never seen before," said Alexander, whose post-graduate goals focused on working for a professional sports team or a collegiate athletics program. "I never thought about getting a job in a hospital, but now I would definitely consider that." 

Chalk it up to real-life experience. There is just no substitute for it. 

"Being a team-sport athlete and going into medicine is very similar in that everyone has to be on the same page to achieve that one goal. In a team sport, the goal is winning. In [medicine], it's giving a patient the best care possible," Pietra said. "Knowing that what we're trying to achieve now applies to later life really makes you appreciate being a student-athlete even more because you know it will serve you in the future." 

And potentially serve others, as well. 
 

Gator Student-Athletes Participating in Fall 2020 UF Health Internships
Name	Sport	UF Health Internship
Madi Alexander	Soccer	Clinical Nutrition department
Kirschtine Balbuena	Women's Swimming	Orthopedics Unit, 6W
Emerson Cabrera	Lacrosse	Mother Baby Unit
Savanna Faulconer	Women's Swimming	Medical Microbiology Laboratory
Jazmyn Foberg	Gymnastics	Child Life Specialist department.
Shannon Kavanagh	Lacrosse	Oncology Unit, 8E
McCartney Kessler	Women's Tennis	Pediatric Units, Unit 44
Ashley Pietra	Soccer	Pediatric Emergency Department
Sophia Piniella	Track & Field	General internal medicine units, Unit 65
Nya Reed	Gymnastics	Mother Baby Unit
Sarah  Reznick	Lacrosse	Medical Oncology Clinic
Josh Tse	Football	Orthopedics Sports Medicine Institute (OSMI) in Orthopedics and Rehabilitation department
Maeson Tydings	Lacrosse	Clinical Nutrition Department
Lauren Waidner	Women's Golf	Pediatric Oncology and Infusion Unit, Unit 42
Liz Watts	Women's Swimming	Inpatient Physical Rehabilitation
Emma Wightman	Lacrosse	NICU
Marlee Zein-El-Abdin	Women's Tennis	Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, PCICU