Inova Health System

Volunteer

February - May 2023 • Alexandria, VA

What I liked

I have a chance to experience working in a hospital before being in nursing program. I also had a chance to work with the elderly

What I wish was different

I wish I started earlier

Advice

Be active to join the team on the floor

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health screener

June - August 2020 • Fairfax, VA

What I liked

Really good hours and schedule, got to talk to a lot of new people

What I wish was different

Better management. I had to deal with a lot of miscommunication and disorganization

Advice

Bring something to entertain you, like a book

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Patient Support Services

October 2018 - January 2019 • Falls Church, VA

What I liked

I loved the environment and being able to meet and create bonds with so many peers and hospital staff.

What I wish was different

Advice

You have to be on time and be willing to communicate and interact with patients and hospital staff.

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Hospital Elder Life Program Volunteer

September 2019 • Fairfax, VA

What I liked

I like giving back to the community. I also enjoyed working with other volunteers and talking to patients.

What I wish was different

Advice

Volunteer more often.

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Nurse Extern

May - June 2019 • Mount Vernon, VA

What I liked

The externship was the perfect learning opportunity for any nursing student. It was more autonomy than clinical, but less pressure than an actual job as a RN. You are allowed to do so much more hands-on skills, while under the direct supervision of the nurse. Also, It was a paid opportunity.

What I wish was different

I wish there were opportunities to float to a different unit at least once.

Advice

Go with an open mind. Even if you get placed in a unit that you are not passionate about, try your best to learn and participate as much as you can. Also, network!

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Rehabilitation technician

September 2019 • Alexandria, VA

What I liked

It’s helping prepare me for grad school.

What I wish was different

Nothing. I really enjoy it.

Advice

Start looking far in advance. The process takes time to get the job.

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Medical Technologist

August - October 2019 • Alexandria, VA

What I liked

Great employees that were extremely helpful and went above and beyond to make sure I was properly trained and ready for employment.

What I wish was different

Wish it had been closer to home

Advice

Always show up early and ready with a positive attitude

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Patient safety

May - August 2019 • Fairfax, VA

What I liked

I liked the diversity of all the different patients and the experience I received

What I wish was different

The shifts were really long and the breaks were really short

Advice

Come into this with an open mind and be really to learn a lot

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Nurse Extern

May - June 2019 • Alexandria, VA

What I liked

I had the opportunity to shadow a nurse on a unit of interest. I was able to gain insight of the roles and responsibilities of nurses. I was also able to work on my time management and critical thinking skills.

What I wish was different

I would have liked the ability to choose if I worked day or night shift. I only worked day shifts but I would have valued the experience of working a night shift.

Advice

Network with the nurses, technicians, and supervisors on your unit! They can teach you valuable information that you can't read off any textbook and they can be a point of contact on the unit once you graduate.

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Summer Nurse Extern

June - August 2019 • Fairfax, VA

What I liked

I liked how we were trained for a full week with the essential skill sets needed to do our respective extern jobs and got PAID to do it! I felt very welcomed by the staff members and was given a variety of opportunities to work on my nursing skills. I was able to network with various healthcare professionals like the charge nurse, doctors, and techs. I was able to understand the work culture in INOVA and the various benefits given to the employees. I was also able to gain new skill sets that I couldn't do in school. I also learned about time management skills and how to do orientation for patients. It was just such a good experience, highly recommend!

What I wish was different

I wish they were more communicative in the application process. I had to email my recruiter a couple of times for them to remember my application. It's just hard to get it in, but once you do the experience is worthwhile. I mean you if you really want this job, be persistent!

Advice

My one piece of advice would be to be open-minded to all the experiences that will come to you. It's a hospital, meaning there will be good and bad, but don't let that deter you from growing as a health care professional. You will be awed by the expertise of some of your co-workers and also learn how to deal with others who don't hold a similar value as you. It's about being an adult and making it work so the patient is happy in the end!

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Research Intern

June - August 2019 • Fairfax, VA

What I liked

I worked within the Genetics department and really enjoyed all the new information I was learning, especially how to identify genes within a sequence and determining deleteriousness. I also was able to participate in inpatient and outpatient rounding which I really enjoyed and learned from.

What I wish was different

I wish I was able to participate more in wet lab work.

Advice

The experience I had was very valuable but the structure of the program is variable and your experience there will most likely depend on which department/PI you are assigned to.

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Volunteer

March 2017 - February 2018 • Alexandria, VA

What I liked

I liked the hands-on experience I had involving the hospital system.

What I wish was different

That there were more volunteers to work with

Advice

Be prepared to work with hospital staff and accommodate their needs as best as possible

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Nurse Extern

June 2019 • Fairfax, VA

What I liked

Good experience

What I wish was different

Advice

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Nursing Extern

May - July 2019 • Alexandria, VA

What I liked

The training they offered and the hands-on experience of getting to work with the nurses as well as the clinical technicians.

What I wish was different

Being informed about my start date earlier.

Advice

You will get out what you put in. If you seek out learning opportunities and opportunities for growth and improvement, it will be recognized.

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Nurse exte

May - August 2019 • Leesburg, VA

What I liked

Very positive and welcoming work environment. Preceptor was very encouraging and supportive.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Nurse Extern

May - June 2019 • Alexandria, VA

What I liked

Going through training through the INOVA porgram and learning one-on-one under a nurse was an amazing experience. It is extra preceptorship hours in a different unit that you may not get to experience at school. You have a higher chance of getting placed in a unit that you want because INOVA will work with you directly, instead of your school asking for spots for you.

What I wish was different

The program was a little disjointed in terms of communication. My preceptor did not know she was getting a student until report that morning when I was introduced to the unit.

Advice

Don't freak out when the recruiters are slow to get back to you on you acceptance! It took a while for them to get back to us so do not get discouraged. Bring in donuts or something for your unit around the 2nd-3rd week to get them more on your side. They may be more willing to pull you in to see something interesting. Write a thank you note to your preceptor and if you feel comfortable enough, ask if you can use them as a reference for when youre applying to a job!

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Certified Rehabilitation Aide

June 2019 • Woodbridge, VA

What I liked

How friendly everyone is!

What I wish was different

I wish I would have came more days out of the week.

Advice

Always be open to learning and always observe!

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health Research assistant

June - August 2019 • Fairfax, VA

What I liked

I got to study under a team of brilliant doctors, observe surgery, attend conferences and conduct rewarding research that turned into an abstract.

What I wish was different

Nothing, it was an amazing experience

Advice

The more you invest in your internship the more you get out of it. Really focus on making relationships and learning vital aspects of field experience you can't get in a class room.

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Patient Access Associate

June 2019 • Falls Church, VA

What I liked

Supervisors care and you get to learn a lot about the important of working as one organization. You gain a lot of patient interaction experience.

What I wish was different

Communication between offices, but some of which is not always in our control. We try our best to communicate efficiently.

Advice

There is always room for improvement.

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Research Intern

June - August 2019 • Fairfax, VA

What I liked

My mentors were really involved with my learning and wanted to make sure I got the most out of my time there. They were very knowledgeable and quick to answer any questions or requests that I had.