An Internship Experience at Grand Rapids Medical Education Partners

INTRODUCTION: My internship experience at Grand Rapids Medical Education Partners will be discussed. The focus of the presentation will be statistical techniques used in the analysis of Dr. Rebecca Davis’ ‘Wayfinding’ project. Methods used include tabular and graphical displays, logistic regression and the chi-square test of independence. Display emphasis is on the understanding of statistical concepts. SAS code and output will be exhibited for reference. METHODS: Elderly subjects used a joystick and other strategies to find a predetermined target. Logistic regression modeling investigated which strategies were effective in finding the target for three different age groups. RESULTS: Memory was the only significant strategy for the oldest age group while six out of the eight strategies were significant for the youngest age group. CHALLENGE: My biggest challenge was the nervousness of not having an immediate Biostatistician supervisor looking over my work. EXPERIENCE: I now have experience working with researchers out of the classroom, statistical techniques used with research data, and explaining statistical techniques and results to a non-statistical audience. OUTCOME: I have become more comfortable and confident in my work as a Biostatistician. IMPACT: During my internship I have seen how the techniques I have learned in course work can be applied in research settings