Penn Medicine

Student Nurse Extern

June 2022 • Princeton, NJ

What I liked

I liked being hands-on in the hospital, working alongside the nurses. I worked in the Critical Care Unit, so I got to see many many things I haven't seen before that I may see throughout my career. Getting to work alongside the nurses and see how the day-to-day works for nurses was amazing.

What I wish was different

While the program we applied for was the "Student Nurse Externship," we were essentially techs/nursing assistants on the floor. I didn't mind that and I'm happy to help, but it would have been nice to get more hands-on nursing experience.

Advice

For this experience and many others- you get out of it what you put into it. I didn't mind doing the grunt work because I know it's all part of the process. You have to go into each and every experience like a sponge and soak up everything that you can. Penn Medicine Princeton was a beyond beautiful facility, and working in the CCU I was able to see very critical patients and how they were managed. While the 4:30 AM alarm was not fun, I knew this experience would be so worth it. I put in the work and I can have some pep in my step knowing that as a new nurse I'll have more confidence in some of my skills.

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Research Assistant

June 2020 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

I really love working at this Penn lab and was surprised to see there is a lot of freedom and flexibility with the job! There are so many amazing lab opportunities at Penn and I"m excited to continue working here.

What I wish was different

Advice

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Information Systems Intern

May - August 2021 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

Loved the experience of seeing an IS department from top-down. I was exposed to a large breadth of IS roles.

What I wish was different

Considering COVID, it was remote. I wish I had more in-person experiences.

Advice

I would advise to seek more connections and network opportunities.

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Xray

June 2019 • Valley Forge, PA

What I liked

The hours are great and the co-workers are very friendly.

What I wish was different

N/A

Advice

Apply to many places and research each company to make sure you are aware of their policies and mission statement to make sure they correlate with your personal beliefs.

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Patient Safety Assistant

May 2019 • West Chester, PA

What I liked

The opportunities to see and learn lots of new things about the healthcare field

What I wish was different

The length of shifts

Advice

It is a great opportunity to learn about patient care and interacting with others in a healthcare environment.

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Nursing Assistant

August 2019 • West Chester, PA

What I liked

Really welcoming staff and interesting unit

What I wish was different

Advice

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Certified Nursing Assistant

May 2019 • West Chester, PA

What I liked

The orientation and welcome process was so in depth and made me feel confident in my own abilities.

What I wish was different

More options on what floor to work on.

Advice

Sometimes when applying for summer jobs or internships, I would get discouraged when I wouldn’t hear back, but keep trying because sometimes it just depends when you apply!

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Student Nurse Extern

June - August 2019 • Lancaster, PA

What I liked

* Student Nurse Externship * 8 week program with two 4 week rotations * rotations of your choice! * many unique unit opportunities such as OR, Trauma, Labor and Delivery *Weekly post-conference * program leaders were exceptional

What I wish was different

* the OR rotation was not receptive to students and in my opinion, should not be an option for the extern program

Advice

You get out of it what you put in. Be confident, ask many questions, push yourself!

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Health Administration Intern

May - June 2019 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

Living in center city Philadelphia, meeting executives at Penn Medicine, growing as a business professional.

What I wish was different

Nothing, it was a phenomenal experience.

Advice

This experience was initially out of my comfort zone but it is worth the leap of faith!!

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Research Assistant

June 2019 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

-staff I worked with -exposure to clinical settings -ability to become familiar with medical data entry

What I wish was different

-more hands on sample collection

Advice

-always reach out and ask how to become more involved!

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Undergraduate Researcher

April 2019 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

Lots of personal responsibility

What I wish was different

Advice

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Undergraduate Research Assistant

June - September 2019 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

Chill environment

What I wish was different

More work

Advice

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Surgical Care Unit - Patient Care Assistant

November 2017 • Princeton, NJ

What I liked

Working with the medical staff and patients solidified my certainty that healthcare is the career field for me.

What I wish was different

I wish I had more experiences in other sectors of the hospital.

Advice

Working in surgical care puts everything into perspective. When I would enter the SCU, anything that I experienced before entering was left behind. There is nothing more important than being healthy and it has been an incredible experience working with Penn Med to assist patients in their journeys back to health.

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Ambassador of Hospital Concierge

July 2017 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

- Interacting with thousands of patients a day - Establishing relationships with returning patients

What I wish was different

- A more energetic work environment

Advice

- Not everyone is going to be the nicest, but you have no idea what they are going through. You have no idea what anyone in the building is going through other than they are there for a reason: to get better. Arguing with a patient over a small matter is not worth your time or theirs.

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Certified Nursing Assistant

May 2017 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

providing patient care, helping the nurses

What I wish was different

nothing!

Advice

seek out learning opportunities and use this opportunity to improve in your time management skills

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Research Intern

May - August 2018 • Philadelphia, PA

What I liked

Great learning experience with a lot of hands on work. Really gave you a lot of latitude to take projects in any way that you wanted. Also great support system in place if you ever needed it.