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What she does:
- Hayley Rintel graduated from F&M and spent her next 4 years
at Georgetown University School of Medicine. Now she cares for
both adult and pediatric patients in Christiana Care Hospital, AI
Dupont Hospital for Children, and Wilmington Hospital. She
rotates through adult and pediatric subspecialties; in addition, she
sees her own patients in an urban community clinic setting.
- On any one day in the hospital, Hayley sees an average of 10-12
patients. While in the hospital, she is the primary doctor for
the individual patients, but she also works as part of a team that
consists of 2-3 other residents and an attending
physician. Next year, as an upper level resident, she will
oversee first year interns in many of her hospital rotations.
- While in the clinic, Hayley the sole provider for the patients on
her patient panel. (She notes, "There are alway attending
physicians available, however, to answer any questions I may have
during my encounters.") Often, she sees patients that are on
another resident's panel if that resident does not have an appointment
available for the patient and vice versa. Hayley says, "In the
future, I hope to continue to practice both adult and pediatric
medicine. I have not yet decided whether I will continue hospital
based or primary care medicine."
Math on the Job:
- Hayley writes, "it's funny how people look at me like I am crazy
when I tell them that I prepared for medical school by majoring in
mathematics! I think only a true mathematically minded person can
understand that the logic and thought processes needed to do math can
help in virtually every aspect of life. I am sure that is the
case in my field . . . medicine is just one big word problem!"
- How does she use math in her job? She says, "On a daily
basis, I calculate doses of medications, fluid infusion rates, dietary
needs, and urine output. Additionally, we use graphing methods to
assess appropriate weight gains and appropriate levels of antibiotics."
Hayley's background:
- Hayley was a Mathematics Major, graduating from Franklin
&
Marshall
College in May
2000. The skills she uses on the job--such as problem
solving and application of basic formulas--come from courses she took
in statistics, mathematical modeling, logic, and discrete math.
In addition to those mathematical skills, Hayley says that medical
residents need to have a strong science background, social skills, the
ability to work long hours, and the ability to teach, to lead, and to
mentor.
- In spite of the myth that preparing for medical school is
all-consuming, Hayley had time for other pursuits in college. You
can see more about her mathematics-and-architecture investigations in
Europe, for example, at JOMA
(the Journal for Online Mathematics and its Applications). She
also played soccer and joined several student groups. In soccer,
she was named to the Academic All-American team in her junior and
senior years. She served as the vice president of the Alpha
Epsilon Delta Pre-medical Honor Society and the president of the Black
Pyramid Senior Honor Society as a senior at F&M.
Additionally, she was involved in the creation of an alcohol awareness
program at F&M through the athletic department.
Advice for students:
- Hayley notes, "Math can be used in virtually every profession, because it provides people with a way to think in a logical and structured manner. This structure can lay the foundation for a future in many endeavors. My advice to High School students is to get involved in as many activities as you can during college because you will never know how much you enjoy things until you try them. Finally, alway reach for the stars . . . a lot of hard work, or a lucky break, may give you the push you need to reach them."