Inova Health System

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.

What I wish was different

Advice

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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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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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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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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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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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Emergency Department volunteer

May - August 2018 • Alexandria, VA

What I liked

What I wish was different

I wish volunteers could perform more tasks directly related to patient care

Advice

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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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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

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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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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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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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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Hospital Elder Life Program Volunteer

September 2017 • Alexandria, VA

What I liked

HELP is a wonderful program where volunteers get to be part of the clinical care team for elderly patients. The goal of the program is to prevent delirium. As a volunteer you talk with patients, guide them in range of motion exercises, help them eat if needed, and offer relaxing hand massages (touch therapy can be very important for many elderly patients, who are often socially isolated). As a HELP volunteer I felt I was truly providing a valuable service, while also learning a lot through continuous training. The HELP supervisor at INOVA Alexandria is also a wonderful person who made me feel valued and encouraged me as I applied for nursing school.

What I wish was different

All I wish is that I would have had more time to volunteer more.

Advice

If you have any interest in working in the health care field, or just want to give back to your community, please consider becoming a HELP volunteer!

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Nurse Extern

May - July 2018 • Fairfax, VA

What I liked

Experience in the Emergency department with wonderful nurses, who loved to share their knowledge!

What I wish was different

Advice

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Volunteer

October 2017 - August 2018 • Fairfax, VA

What I liked

Great experience

What I wish was different

Paid

Advice

Volunteer experience is great for your resume.

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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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Epic Intern

July - August 2018 • Falls Church, VA

What I liked

Leadership was helpful and friendly; they gave me a variety of tasks from normal administrative duties to writing code for increasing efficiency throughout the health system.