But he'd sure like to be.

Nguyen, a senior at Central Catholic High School, spent part of his summer working in a hospital where he was allowed to shadow a doctor, observe an operation, and learn the ins and outs of modern medicine.

"It was a wonderful experience," said the Haverhill teen. "It gave me an outlook on what they do while opening more doors for me."

Nguyen is one of 24 teenagers from across the Merrimack Valley and Southern New Hampshire who participated in the Shadow-a-Professional Program at Lawrence General Hospital.

During the six-week program, teenagers worked in a dozen departments at the hospital, including the nursery, pain management, physical therapy, the pharmacy and the emergency room. They shadowed nurses, doctors and technicians.

Nguyen was assigned to the pain management department and followed Dr. Rami Rustum, staff anesthesiologist and pain specialist at the hospital.

"I wasn't like a shadow walking behind him. I was actually learning," Nguyen said. "There wasn't a moment when I did not want to be there."

He not only interacted with Rustum, but was able to witness an operation up close. He was one of six students who were able to do so.

Nguyen applied for the shadow program to learn more about the medical field since he hopes to be either an anesthesiologist or a surgeon.

"Medicine interests me because I am curious about the human body and how it functions when it's exposed to diseases and chemicals," he said. "Surgery interests me because I am curious about the procedures."

He said taking part in the shadow program reinforced his desire to enter the medical field.

"The experience made me realize I can do this for the rest of my life," Nguyen said. "It doesn't seem to be so stressful all the time. The schedule did not bother me."

Others, such as Connie Cheng of Andover and Lauren Drapeau, both 17, were not too sure.

Cheng, 17, who also shadowed Rustum, made a U-turn after finishing the program. Instead of working in a hospital, the Andover High School senior decided pharmacology was best suited for her.

Drapeau, a senior at Central Catholic, volunteered in the X-ray department, but realized she likes working with children.

"This is not only about observing patients with a student or a potential doctor," Rustum said. "They are learning what obstacles can arise, how to overcome them, and even what to expect in medical school."

To qualify for the program, high school juniors and seniors submit an essay outlining the reasons why they want to participate, what profession they hope to pursue, and what they would like to learn from the experience.

The students also go through an interview process.

Betsy Rayner, director of volunteers at the hospital, looks for confidence, passion, drive and motivation when choosing a participant.

One applicant was so interested in participating, he spent his winter vacation doing research on orthopedic surgery.

Students can intern in several departments, including special care nursery, pain management, pathology, pharmacy, radiology and ultrasound.

Rayner said 14 of the 24 applicants this year wanted to work in the nursery, followed by the emergency room and surgery. The pharmacy was another popular department with five applicants as opposed to one or two last year.

"I think the students want to work in the emergency room because they watch shows like "ER" and see all the stuff that happens and want to see the excitement," Rayner said. "They want to see the crisis, the chaos, and the chance of saving a life right then and there."

The students commit to 12 hours a week for six weeks. In addition to shadowing a doctor or other hospital staff member, they must volunteer for four hours in another department in the hospital.

Rayner said she has seen the program mushroom in the eight years she's been running it.

"I think the program is popular because they see what goes in a hospital every day in and out, during the tough days and good days," she said.

Over the years, Rayner said former participants have become doctors, nurses and pharmacists.

She doesn't even mind if a student changes his mind about entering the medical field. This summer, three of the 24 participants chose another career path.

"It's OK. I'd rather have them find out now than later when it may be too late," she said.

Nguyen, a member of the National Honor Society at Central, is holding on to his lifelong dream of becoming a doctor.

"I want to be a doctor so I can help people, save lives, alleviate people's problems and pains," he said. "I want to make a difference in society."