Tons of independence and collaboration, I was given the opportunity to be just as involved as all of the post-docs and grad students. Thanks to that I have tons of skills and authorship on two big papers, maybe a third, pending.
NOTE: Because of the freedom academia allows its researchers, your experience here is completely dependent on the PI you end up with. The resulting experiences could be wildly different from mine depending on how that PI likes to run his/her lab.
What I wish was different
The pay, I had an enormous amount of experience volunteering in labs on campus at UTDallas. However, human resources at UTSouthwestern only considers something a job if the individual was paid for the work done. So when I applied they told me in their eyes I had ZERO work related experience and made it clear I had ZERO ability to negotiate salary. Luckily the PI went to bat for me but still, wow the pay is bad.
There are respected PhD level scientist working there for less than $50,000 a year. It seems like the only way to get paid in academia is by making a HUGE Einstein level discovery and getting your own lab as a PI to continue researching it.
Also, the campus and facilities are ugly, old, and constantly leaking/breaking. I sound like I am nit-picking but really... its shockingly bad.
Advice
Do your research on the PI, his publications, and reach out to him directly via email. Be prepared to talk about it in the interview and why you want to pursue his/her work as a job. It is 100% better than applying to a job listing for his/her lab online. I had already corresponded through email, met in person, interviewed, and then after all was said and done they instructed me to apply to the online job listing... almost as though it were more of a formality. He said "By law we have to interview X amount of people before we can hire, but after our interview I already know who I want to hire, so just hang tight for a few weeks and keep in touch!"
To touch on one final point I previously mentioned about pay grade. This job really opened my eyes to what not paying people properly does to an industry. When I began telling my work colleagues I was leaving for another job/career almost every single one(all PhD level scientists) said they wanted to leave academia, they were unhappy with the money and the kind of life style it forced them to live. They wanted me to keep them updated on "what is industry like?" "What were the interviews like?" "How did you do your resume versus a CV" they had lots of questions.
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Patient Care Technician
June 2018 • Dallas, TX
What I liked
I love working at UTSW the work environment is great and I love what we stand for as a healthcare system!
What I wish was different
I wish I could have started working there sooner!
Advice
If you are thinking of becoming a tech so you can gain patient experience and work while in nursing school I think you should definitely go for it! I also highly recommend working at UTSW! You will gain great experience like never would have imagined!
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Nurse intern
June - August 2019 • Dallas, TX
What I liked
Helped me become more confident. Familiar with the hospital system
What I wish was different
I wish it was longer
Advice
Definitely will help you get your foot in the door with where you want to work
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Reimbursement intern
June - July 2019 • Dallas, TX
What I liked
What I enjoyed most about my time at UT Southwestern was having the opportunity to work in a professional office space. I got to interact and learn from not just the people in my department but in other departments as well. This was useful because I was able to get a feel of the culture and professional environment.
What I wish was different
I wish it was more efficient, there was a lot of slack time because we’d be waiting for certain approval to work on a project.
Advice
My advise is to always assume someone is looking and taking notes. One of the other interns during my experience got fired because he thought no one was looking when he broke the rules.
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Nurse Extern
June - August 2019 • Dallas, TX
What I liked
I liked the hands on experience in a specialty that interests me, and I liked building relationships with my preceptors and coworkers. I also liked how it helped me build more confidence in the clinical setting.
What I wish was different
None- it was great
Advice
If you’re a nursing student doing this externship, take the 2 hour elective course along with it so you can get college credits.
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JAMP Intern
May - June 2019 • Dallas, TX
What I liked
I liked the peer mentor relationships that were built. We volunteered and held social gatherings. We also prepared for interviews.
What I wish was different
N/A
Advice
Make the most of the resources offered. JAMP provides so many resources to enhave your pre-medical experience.
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Project Intern
June - August 2017 • Dallas, TX
What I liked
Completing hands-on research with some of the most incredible scientists and facilities in the world.
What I wish was different
Hours, wish the hours werent so long and so much commute to work made it very frustrating at some points
Advice
Do not take it for granted. Make sure you work as hard as you would in school.
