Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Software Engineering Intern

June 2019 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

The teams were very helpful to an undergrad intern.

What I wish was different

Advice

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Senior Nursing Aid

September 2018 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

This job has allowed me to get a better view of the healthcare world.

What I wish was different

If I could change one thing, I would prefer to work less.

Advice

It is very essential to network while you are working.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Undergraduate Research Assistant

April 2019 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

The lab members, learning new laboratory techniques

What I wish was different

Lack of early involvement in the lab

Advice

You get out of research what you put in.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Undergraduate Research Assistant

June 2019 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

I love the supportive environment and seeing the ins and outs of research projects.

What I wish was different

I wish I had more time to sit in at meetings to get a more holistic picture of the project.

Advice

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Biology Research Intern

May - August 2019 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

I loved interacting with the patients, doctors, researcher and lab techs. I love swing each perspective in trying to find a cure for cardiology defects in children.

What I wish was different

Honestly, nothing. This experience was so beneficial. I got to see an actual surgery of a doctor fixing a valve in the heart.

Advice

Never give up applying for internship. I applied on handshake for a psychology internship at CHOP. She referred me to a Biology internship at CHOP on cardiology defects. I applied for another research on Mitochondrial DNA which I got and now I am doing my senior capstone with CHOP. It's truly a dream come true and the greatest opportunity.

2 ${count} people found this helpful

Psychologist Research Assistant

July 2019 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

Besides the research being very interesting, the schedule was very flexible; I was able to work remotely when I wanted to or come down to the research center at the hospital and work at a cubicle. My Principal Investigator also gave me a lot of opportunities not only to "just be a part of the research team" but also opportunities for publication (both a journal article and poster abstract).

What I wish was different

The funding is pretty limited and most of the research assistant positions are unpaid.

Advice

These types of jobs are not very well advertised. Instead of shuffling through job postings or LinkedIn, utilizing your personal network or reaching out directly to PIs that you're interested in working with usually results in more success.

4 ${count} people found this helpful

Research Intern

June - August 2019 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

I loved the CHOP and University of Pennsylvania collaboration. Patient care, research, and education are all rolled into one entity and I was able to view my own career goals through this lens. I was also able to increase my hands on experience in a lab setting which is helping me now in my classes.

What I wish was different

I wish I had spoken to more people while I was there, either in informational interviews or shadowing experiences.

Advice

I would take advantage of everything that is offered to you, plus more. Everyone affiliated with the program, CHOP, and the University of Pennsylvania are very willing to help you, but only if you ask for it.

1 One person found this helpful

Administrative Assistant

September 2017 - August 2018 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

Flexibility and freedom while working

What I wish was different

Management

Advice

Get another job simultaneously

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Infection Control

January 2019 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

Being able to work at CHOP

What I wish was different

Advice

Be the first to mark this as helpful

National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) student

June - August 2019 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

This REU location is unique compared to others in the sense that the research is taking place at a hospital rather than an academic institution. I loved seeing the direct benefits my research had for children, adolescents, and young adults. I value my summer experience through the NSF REU program because I was able to immerse myself in cutting-edge research, learn about various types of technical equipment, and use new data analysis software. This experience has better equipped me for pursuing a PhD in Psychology.

What I wish was different

Advice

You should be an effective independent worker that can also collaborate with a larger team, and overall enjoy contributing to and conducting research.

1 One person found this helpful

Nurse Extern: Susan D. Flynn Oncology Fellowship

May - July 2017 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

-Extensive shadowing experience -Experience of regular RN hours -Working with great preceptors -Full immersion into the specialty of pediatric oncology

What I wish was different

-More opportunities for emotional debriefing

Advice

Take advantage of any learning opportunity you can find! Also, allow time for yourself as a position on a pediatric oncology unit is full of emotion.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Undergraduate Research Assistant

August 2017 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

I was given the independence and resources to participate in and design my own experiments for one of the projects I was working on. I learned more about the organic research process, in all of its unpredictable but rewarding aspects.

What I wish was different

Having a more organized structure and more guidance to the projects themselves would have helped ensure efficiency and minimal waste of time, money, and resources.

Advice

Research comes in many forms, and your experience in one type of research setting does not determine the nature of every research job or field that there is. Additionally, the people that you work under make a huge difference in your view of the field/job itself. When applying and interviewing for research positions, you are interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you. Making sure you find a good mentor, so that any skills and information you learn is reliable and useful, is key to having a good research experience.

3 ${count} people found this helpful

REU Student

June - August 2019 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

I was able to attend multiple seminars a week to learn about different careers and public health research being conducted at CHOP. We were given free housing for the summer, and I loved having the opportunity to explore Philadelphia when I was not at work. I was given a lot of freedom to conduct my project, but also a lot of help whenever it was needed. It was great to work with world-renowned researchers and have my brain stimulated each day!

What I wish was different

There were a few days where I had a lot of downtime (which could be seen as good or bad). I usually tried to use this downtime to research grad schools or careers I was interested in and met with co-workers to hear about their career paths and gain advice from them. I also used a few days where I didn't have much work to do to go to local universities and meet with their graduate admissions.

Advice

Be open to any new experience! Going into the REU I thought I had my mind made up about what careers and graduate programs I was interested in, but this summer gave much more insight about the realities of applying and getting into graduate school. Also, get out and explore the city when you're not at work, I went to professional sports games, watched fireworks on the 4th at the museum of art, and ate delicious food at Reading Terminal Market, Philly has so much to offer!

5 ${count} people found this helpful

Research Assistant

July - October 2019 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

What I wish was different

I wish I had gotten paid for the position.

Advice

2 ${count} people found this helpful

REU Scholar

June - August 2017 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

I loved the intensity of the internship program and the connections that I was able to gain through the CHOP network. I was exposed to so many different aspects of clinical jobs (doctors, nurses, etc.) as well as different types of research. Great mentoring for both MD and PhD programs.

What I wish was different

I wish I had more flexibility in choosing my research project, since that is the goal of the NSF grant

Advice

Be open minded. Go to all the seminars and use the CHOP email to start making connections immediately. You may fall in love with something you never expected.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Research Assistant - Speech and Motor

May - August 2017 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

It was structured and we had workshops to learn more about all the different fields people on the floor worked on, and to learn about future career paths.

What I wish was different

I wish that we had more of a say in what we were working on.

Advice

I would definitely choose an internship in a field you are interested in, it makes the work so fulfilling and makes everyday fascinating.

Be the first to mark this as helpful

Nurse Extern

May 2017 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

I liked the freedom they gave us to complete tasks without supervision. It also has helped me put my foot in the door for a job postgrad. You also spent half the summer on one unit and then switched to another. Every extern was on one medsurg floor and then one either ICU or ER floor depending on the externs preference so you really learned a lot about different types of pediatric nursing.