Making the Most of Internship
When it comes to
Medical and
Nursing Assistant training, the classroom work is only part of the equation to being successful. After several weeks of working hard in the classroom the real proof comes as you head out into the field and begin your Internship. This is your chance to put all your new skills to use and begin the first steps to a rewarding career.
Treat Every Day Like An Interview: Treat your internship time just as you would a paid position. Be on time, be clean and neat, and most of all be ready to impress. Many internship sites will be evaluating you to become part of their team and stay on after your term as an intern. Even if they are not able to offer you a position, they will be your number one source for input with other employers as you start to
interview. Many interns have started on a site day one that had no open positions only to have a place secured by the end of their internship because of their hard-work and dedication during their time as an intern
Always say “Yes!”: Remember that you are on your internship site to not only add to your skillset, but also to help out the team with whom you are interning. Sometimes you may be asked to do simple tasks like help with filing or even empty out a trash can. On the other hand you may be asked to participate in something new and exciting you’ve never even seen before. Treat every opportunity with a positive attitude and you will be proving to the clinic that you are there to be part of the team and you want to help out in every way possible. You never know what great opportunities this may lead to.
Make Time: Your internship is your chance to put all of your hard won new skills into practice. In some ways this time can be even more important than all those hours you spent in the classroom, but you need to make the time for it. Ideally you should never miss an hour of your internship, but if you absolutely must miss time, be sure to call in to both your internship site and to the school. When you miss time at internship, not only do you let the site down, you also cheat yourself out of time that could be bringing you closer to your career goals.
Do Your Research: Everyone has a dream of what type of setting they want to work in, and that’s wonderful. However it is important to do your research first before insisting on a certain type of internship site. It is important to understand what types of sites have overnight hours if you can only work nights for example. If you want to specialize in a certain type of medicine look at how many opportunities for that type of healthcare exist in your area. If want to avoid a certain type of setting because you’re not comfortable with a certain skills like phlebotomy, remember that internship is a learning opportunity and there is no better time to step up to the plate and get the hands-on experience that will make you competent in those skills before you head out into the real world.
Internship is an important time to put yourself and your skills to the test. It is important to take advantage of this time to make yourself even more skilled and more marketable. Up until now you and your classmates have been learning the same skills and gaining the same knowledge. Your internship is the thing that can really set you apart from the pack, but only if you dedicate 110% of your effort to gaining everything you can from it.
The Allen School has made hundreds of connections in the medical field and we have a dedicated team of Career Services advisors ready to help you take your place in the field of healthcare. Visit our website www.allenschool.edu for more information or give us a call at 877-591-8753 to learn how you can start your dream of becoming a healthcare professional today.
