By now, you all have spent two or three full days at your internships, getting to know "the lay of the land." Respond to this post no later than July 9.
Write a short summary of your first impressions of your internship. React to the work environment, your mentor, your co-workers, and the tasks assigned to you so far, as well as any plans you and your mentor have made for the rest of your time together. Discuss ways in which the internship has - and has not - met your expectations during this first week. How do you think this will change during the weeks to come?
Don't forget to come back and read your fellow interns' posts throughout the coming week and comment on at least two of them. Remember to keep your comments positive and supportive. (Problems and concerns should be discussed with me by phone or email.) Be sure to check back later to answer questions others may have left for you. ThinkingofPRIME is intended to be an interactive forum.
Since I am interning at the Rader Health Clinic at Fort Myer, there are opportunities to observe specialists in many different fields. For my first week, I was assigned to the Primary Care section of the clinic, where patients come in for routine appointments and consultations. I was able to shadow three different doctors and observed their methods of treatment and their approach to finding the best course of treatment for each patient. At first I was intimidated because it is a military clinic, but everyone at the facility was very welcoming and I felt included right away. My mentors all took time to explain their thought processes with patient diagnoses and encouraged any questions that I had. Although I can't physically touch a patient, I feel like the experience has already been beneficial. I have really enjoyed being able to observe what a doctor's everyday life is like and I am looking forward to experiencing the pediatric, laboratory, and physical therapy sections of the clinic in weeks to come.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds so much less scary than I thought it did when you described it. I'm glad its going well!
DeleteThis sounds so interesting! Have your experiences so far made you more interested in a certain field of medicine?
DeleteSo far I have only experienced the primary care field, which is valuable since it contains a variety of symptoms and injuries. I would definitely be interested in pursuing a career in that area!
DeleteYou're off to a great start, Sophia! I'm sure your interest and enthusiasm contributed to the medical staff's welcoming attitude.
DeleteSometimes witnessing the real thing is invaluable compared to just hearing about it. Shadowing doctors may be a good way to show you aspects of a medical career that would have been difficult to learn otherwise.
DeleteFor the past three days of my internship, I was assigned to the Logistics department with Nicole. I chose this department because my very first mentor, MAJ Bal, said that this department was the most fun. So I had high expectations of how the Logistics operated. But after the first day, my expectations plummeted. I initially thought that interns would be moving boxes, taking inventory, delivering packages and supplies. In reality, Nicole and I, were seated behind one of our mentors, Dean, and watched him work on the computer and kind of explain his job. As civilians who were interning at a military clinic, we were forbidden to handle government material. I was disappointed, but I understood the situation. Fortunately several of my mentors took initiative to resolve the boredom that we were in. For the next two days, my experience and opinions of the Logistics department changed drastically. My mentor, Doug, took on us a tour of the clinic and introduced us to most of the staff. He was a really fun guy to talk and listen to, and he made the clinic and its workers more comfortable to be with. I realized that soldiers and anyone who works in the military are easy to talk to; all you need is some confidence and a sense of humor. Doug also took us to Fort McNair in D.C. for some work that MAJ Ehmer had to do. I got to learn how the staff from Fort Myer coordinates with the staff in Fort McNair. Then Doug got us to do some of his tedious work requests for his staff, since he’s in charge of them. Because of that experience, I got to learn about how much documentation is required even for the smallest of tasks. And today, I got closer to my other mentors, Matt, Neil, and Sergeant Powell. Matt and Neil are part of the maintenance crew and Sergeant Powell is in charge of employer safety. Sergeant Powell is intimidatingly strict about what employers can and cannot do, especially with us and regarding military security. But once I got to know him, Sergeant Powell is a funny guy that I can relate with. I even had a pun-off (a competition with corny jokes) with him. Long story short, I lost. Today, Nicole and I watched Doug, Matt, and Neil take a desk apart and remodel it. Because of this experience, I learned something that means the most to me. I got to know the staff personally before seeing them really get into action. And when I actually watched my mentors, that I immensely cherish, work strenuously together on a task that most people consider mediocre and insignificant, got me to open my eyes on how important it is to respect every person, regardless of their occupation, that works so hard to get the job done. At that moment I really hoped the staff at the clinic appreciated the Logistics team as much I did. Luckily later that day in the lounge, I got to meet Aira, my Lab mentor that I was supposed to meet next week but I got the chance to introduce myself ahead of time. Aira discussed how everyone depends on and tremendously appreciates Doug and his crew. These past three days allowed me to gain valuable knowledge on the environment in the work field and helped to me to obtain confidence and experience of interacting with other staff while having a great, meaningful time together. I am so grateful for this skill that can be used in any work environment. There’s so much things I could talk more about, like the Military Board Meeting I witnessed today, but I already wrote way more than enough. I look forward in meeting new people, continue talking with my Logistic mentors, and learn amazing values that I can’t get anywhere else.
ReplyDeleteNice blog entry, Syeda! The Logistics department is one I'm looking forward to experiencing as it sounds like much fun!
DeleteYes, I definitely agree that the soldiers working within the Rader Clinic have much more to them behind their stiff, green uniforms. Many of them are extremely helpful and are open to questions in all topics from all of the interns at Rader Clinic. It was really interesting to get to know a number of the solider women and men, other than their professional and serious side, because they have proved to be very genuine human beings.
Good insights Syeda. I think you applied one of the aphorisms from Jim's talk at the orientation: "Interested people are interesting." Keep it up!
DeleteIt's always a great feeling when low expectations are met with something that ends up exceeding into a positive experience. From this post I can tell that this is exactly how your internship has gone so far.
DeleteI am actually really happy working with CPRO. My mentors are incredibly amazing at their jobs, and the working environment is completely different than what was expected. The past two days I’ve been working closely to Stephen, our event coordinator. One of the CPRO’s mission is to bring the people on Columbia Pike together, thus, many community events happening on the Pike are sponsored by CPRO, for instance Movie Nights. We have been advertising the movie nights on social media, and in the process, I also learned about the community, businesses and and the existing conditions of the Pike. There has been some mundane tasks such as organizing bills, writing envelopes, but somehow it all exposed me to the local/big businesses who are involved with CPRO and the Pike, which gives me a better understanding of how things work both with CPRO and the Pike. Also, Cecilia, my other mentor, took me to one of her meeting with APAH, discussing about the land swap deal with Virginia Hospital Center. During the meeting, I met with the leaders of other nonprofit organizations, who’s goal is to help the people living along the Pike. And while hearing the discussion, I learned more about the lengthy process of dealing with local government in order develop a city and such. I am really glad to be interning at CPRO due to the abundance of knowledge I’ve gained from only the past couple of days. I am hoping to be able to attend more meetings and plan more community outreach events in the next few weeks, I even hope to be able to work with companies related to urban planning such as CPRO in the future.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you seem to be enjoying your time at CPRO. How was the working environment different than you expected? Thats nice how you got to intern at a place you would work at in the future.
DeleteI was actually expecting more of an 'office' type of place with more paperwork and big meetings, but since it's only a three-staffed organization it feels more familiar and personal, you know?
DeleteI'm glad you recognized the value that can come from mundane tasks, Nadya such as figuring out how a place is organized or seeing who they interact with. Good plans for future activities; I'm sure you can make them happen.
DeleteFor my internship, I have been working at the Arlington Public Schools Health Administration with Dr. Stebbins. I work at his office every day, and have already learned so much. So far, I have been learning about APS health, doing a bunch of data analysis and graph making, and going to meetings. APS health collects a ton of data every year from each school regarding clinic visits. There are many different categories for why each kid visits the clinic such as first aid, medications, vision and hearing tests, and immunizations. I have been organizing that data and comparing it to each school’s demographics and the percentage of each school’s free and reduced lunch data. I have also been calculating clinic visit rates and medication rates for each school. With all of the data, I make graphs in order to see if there is any relationship between the values. Next week, I am going to run some statistics to mathematically see the relationships. It has been interesting to look at all of the data and see how each school compares to one another. So far, I have attended two meetings, one for immunizations and one for data collection in the upcoming years. The meetings have been interesting and have opened my eyes to see how complicated it is even to give one child a shot. There is so much that APS Health has to do that most of the community doesn’t even know about. My mentor, and everyone else, has been very kind and welcoming in these past few days and I can’t wait for next week!
ReplyDeleteWow! I'm really curious about the differences between the different schools collected by APS, especially the medical standpoint. It sounds like you're having an awesome time discovering relationships and patterns while making graphs. I hope you continue to enjoy your internship and have a fantastic summer!
DeleteI had not ever really thought about this aspect of APS, but it sounds interesting! Do you have any predictions for the statistical analyses/ have any results come up that are unexpected?
DeleteExcellent summary of a complicated task, Haley. Will your charts and tables be published anywhere or submitted to the state?
DeleteIn my three days of this internship, I was fortunate enough to experience the world of Pediatrics at the Andrew Rader Clinic on the Fort Myer army base. I was able to shadow my mentors who are a Pediatric Nurse and a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner who both were very friendly and welcoming from the start. I was able to observe children patients ranging from 1 week-old newborns to high school-aged teenagers who came for many different reasons like minor injuries or major health problems. This first week of the internship has opened my eyes to the more intricate and behind-the-scenes work of the responsibilities of Pediatric related jobs which includes working as part of a team with other nurses and healthcare professionals to provide care, monitor health conditions, plan long-term care needs, administer medicine, use medical equipment, and advise patients and their families on illnesses. Although, something that I wasn't expecting was the fact that there are nurses in Rader Clinic's pediatrics department rather than doctors/pediatricians. The nurse & nurse practitioner worked as a team, but I was surprised to notice that the Pediatric Nurse is the one who enters the room and asks the patient about their symptoms, medication, eating habits, and deal with the paperwork of medical information, etc., leaves the room, and reports all of this to the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (who acts almost as a Doctor) and the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner is the one who comes into the room and actually assigns antibiotics and treatments to the patient. Other than that, this internship has met my expectations in regards to the high-quality care that is provided to others. This experience was truly invaluable, and I know that my time at Rader Clinic will leave a permanent impression on me that will continue to be valuable as I pursue a career in medicine.
ReplyDeleteYour experience so far seems like it has been very informative! I know you said that you wanted to be a pediatrician, so I hope you enjoy the rest of your internship and continue to pursue a career in that area.
DeleteYour internship sound really interesting. I'm glad that you are gain the experience and knowledge of being a pediatrician. I hope that you continue to pursue that career.
DeleteIt sounds as though you are absorbing lots of information, Malate. Are you inclined to research the steps involved in becoming a nurse practitioner vs a doctor?
DeleteMy internship at Gallaudet University has been very interesting so far. Another PRIME intern, Iain, and I are designing a maze in virtual reality that will be used in a study on deaf people. I won't get into the details of the study here, but our work in the first three days of the internship has been very interesting. Communication between many people working at Gallaudet and me has been somewhat difficult in these first three days, as well. I do not know sign language, though I have looked into a little bit of it since starting the internship, and this makes it extremely difficult when someone on campus tries to communicate. For most of the work day, however, Iain and I will be working alone and will not see Chiz, our client, Kevin, who has been supervising our work, or Jeff, who was not here this week and is our mentor, for large spans of time. This means we have had to both plan what we need to focus on for the day and our time ourselves. We are not assigned specific tasks, nor are we given much guidance on how to complete our overall goal. Much of this week has been research into different programs that would allow us to create a three dimensional space and then be able to use the Oculus with that space. We had to weigh the positives and negatives of each option and make decisions ourselves. Working with a customer has also been a valuable lesson in communication. For the first day or two of the week, we were unsure what exactly we needed to include in the maze, what kind of design she wanted, and other important factors that were crucial to us understanding our overall objective. We were able to affectively ask questions and have multiple discussions with Chiz and ended the week with an approved design for the maze. One thing I expected more of from this internship was actual programming. This week we did no programming, however this is going to change once we begin making the maze and have to add user interactions into the design. Almost all of this week was research and drafting mazes and documentation, and while the research and documentation are going to be continuous parts of this internship, hopefully we do not have to redesign the maze and can begin building it in VR next week.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds so cool! Good luck learning sign language!
DeleteThank you, Audrey!
DeleteKudos to you for all you have accomplished in one week! You are definitely working in the real world!
DeleteMy daughter - who is not deaf - got her degree in deaf education at Gallaudet. She said it was like an immersion school for ASL and she picked it up very quickly. I'm sure you will too.
VR is such an important field, with myriad application. I'd be excited to hear how your work goes!
DeleteIn the Arlington Partnership for Children Youth and Families I have been very welcomed by my two mentors and my coworkers. I have been helping them with flyers and social media. As well, I have been able to share opinions at several meetings. I have also been analyzing the results of the youth survey with my coworkers. My mentors and coworkers have all been very helpful with letting me know what goes on around the office. Overall it is a very positive experience.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you are really enjoying yourself! I hope the rest of your internship continues to be a great and positive experience.
DeleteNice entry Audrey! I know you told me that it can be boring to sit at a desk for 8 hours, but it sounds like things are improving! I am
Deleteglad that your mentors are friendly and I hope things will only go up as your internship progresses.
Audrey - be sure you speak up about anything you see or hear about that you'd like to get involved with; I know Kim would be happy to expand your responsibilities.
DeleteI have been working at a Chamber of Commerce in Clarendon for the Executive Director, Matt Hussman. The office is brand new and home to many different companies. Everyone I have met so far has been very helpful and kind. So far I have been working on creating a budget for the 2017 Clarendon Day Festival based on data from previous years. In doing so I have also acquired a greater understanding of Quickbooks and FileMaker Pro. I am curenttly working on acquiring missing information on local businesses and their property managers in the Clarendon/Courthouse area. Later in the week my mentor will inform me of the specific marketing strategy he wants to employ for the Clarendon Day event. This includes advertising on the website, social media and at other local events as well as acquiring sponsors and creating terms of sponsorship for the event. Overall, the tasks assigned to me have exceeded my expectations and I look forward to another week on the job.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like this internship is a perfect fit for you. I am also working in Clarendon, maybe we can meet up for lunch and talk about our internships. I hope you continue to learn and enjoy yourself at your internship.
DeleteI'm glad your getting your hands on some of the financial "stuff" at Clarendon Alliance; I know that's your forte and you will be an asset to the organization there.
DeleteThis sounds like a fantastic networking opportunity! I hope you have met some awesome members of the community!
DeleteI have been working with the U.S. Army Band for my internship. On my first day, I got to go with the ceremonial band to the Capitol Fourth dress rehearsal on the mall in DC. I learned about the logistics of running a large live television event and the role of the band in that process. I was surprised to learn that they don't play the music live, it was all prerecorded. Later in the week, I observed both the woodwind and brass quintet rehearsals and performances. I also got to take a lesson with Steve, the principal saxophone player in the concert band. That was definitely the most educational part of the internship so far. He made me think a lot about my tone and technique on saxophone. One thing that I was surprised to learn is that every band member has additional responsibilities besides just being a musician. For example, my mentor Leigh is in charge of the band's internship programs and educational programming. I also learned that the band employs several full time librarians, arrangers, and a producer, so there's a lot more to the band than just the musicians. Overall, everyone has been extremely friendly. I was a little intimidated to be working with members of the military, but they are just normal people who all have a passion for music. Next week, I get to observe the conducing workshop, so I am excited. One thing that's pretty funny is that when I mention that I'm interested in both music and science, the musicians always tell me "science is good." They all acknowledge that it is extremely difficult to succeed as a professional musician, so that's something for me to think about.
ReplyDeleteI am also interested in both music and science, so your internship sounds really fun and enlightening! I have heard the U.S. Army Band perform before and am always amazed at their abilities. This sounds like a great experience, have fun at the conducting workshop!
DeleteWhat a wonderful experience, Holden! I often think it would be a dream to make a living in music; but I dabble enough in amateur music to know how much work it is. Also for every person on the stage, there are probably 10 to 20 behind the scenes. :)
DeleteI have been interning at the Arlington County General District Court. One thing that I first noticed was how organized and busy a simple court case. So far, my job has been to help the clerks organize and separate court cases, which range from simple parking tickets to severe felonies. Each court case has to be documented, scanned, filed, noted, and sent to the court, after which the process is either repeated or the case goes into the archives. A one page speeding ticket gets transformed into a massive database before it is sent to the judges. While all of this organization can feel a little tedious, I have been interested in looked at the cases and seeing what people were convicted of and how they decided to respond. However, what has by far been the coolest part is sitting in on court. So far, I have sat in on Traffic Court and Criminal Court, both of which was outstanding. I have gotten to see legal arguments in small claims courts, convicts appeal their sentences, and listen to the judge decide on parking tickets. One thing that I know I will be doing in the coming weeks is observing and participating in the interactions that go on between the court and the people outside of the courthouse, which involves starting new cases and finishing old ones. I think the internship so far has been what I expected, and I don't really expect it to change in the coming weeks.
ReplyDeleteBeing able to sit in court sounds like a lot of fun! It's interesting how much work and documentation goes into something as small as a speeding ticket. Do you think you'd like to pursue a career in law?
DeleteI visited the courts at Courthouse not to long ago, and found it really interesting. However I was never able to se what went on "behind closed doors", nor was I able to see the amount of paperwork involved in each court case. It seems that your internship is very engaging, and that by the end you will learn a lot. Have fun.
DeleteWill, I really like the way you have taken you access to what could be strictly a tedious task and turned in into an intriguing learning experience. Keep it up!
DeleteI have been working with Stantec, which is an architecture and engineering firm that was founded in Canada. So far all the different people I have met have been very helpful and kind towards me, offering me there insight on what I should do in relation to me applying to the colleges of my choice and for choosing my major. It has all been so great and I really am enjoying this opportunity provided to me by the career center. I have been assigned a long term project where I am going to need to design a pavilion for my high school, Washington Lee, then at the end of the month I need to present it at an office meeting. I believe that this experience will help provide me with some exposure to the architecture and engineering fields so that I can make a more informed decision when it comes down to choosing the specific major in college. My mentor has also contacted the different job sites to see if I can go out to see one and all this week he has arranged for me to be shadowing different engineers at different job sites. I am very excited for this upcoming week and for the rest of my internship, so far it has exceeded my expectations and am very grateful to be able to do something like this.
ReplyDeleteI think it's great that your internship is helping with choosing a college major. In terms of the pavilion, is there any chance of the project actually being built, or is it just project meant for learning purposes? It would be awesome if something like that was added to Washington Lee.
DeleteThat is really interesting! What sort of buildings do they design? Do you know what the work process is like for the engineers?
DeleteIt seems as though your mentor put a lot of thought into your internship, Nico. Where are you actually based? Are you keeping a journal of the various places you visit>\?
DeleteI hope we get to see each other in our respective jobs, as RNL was recently acquired by Stantec! Let me know!
DeleteThe work environment at the thinkabit lab is good, with bright colors, little outside pressure, and a busy but positive atmosphere. Anyone is allowed to help on any of the projects going on, and this allows for cross-discipline interests to be fleshed-out. While other interns generally focus on their specific project everyone is nice and open, and it contributes to the comfortable atmosphere. Dr. Egenrieder is polite, and always listens to suggestions and really helps flesh out ideas. While I was somewhat surprised by the work provided (working on a photo library of poisonous and venomous animals for a machine learning program, and teaching school-groups about circuits and programing), it is definitely interesting and fulfilling. Other projects that will start soon or are currently in production include a chair that turns into a table, a remote control wheelchair, and a remotely operated underwater vehicle, and the animal project is very long-term. I did not really know what to expect being an intern at a lab, and this is a pleasant answer to that question, relating to the research side of zoology, as opposed to the field work side. Teaching children was most definitely unexpected, but is interesting and fun to help with. While my project is not the most exciting, it is not boring either and will hopefully become useful in the future, and I do not expect much of this to change.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the mission or goals of thinkabit?
DeleteMichael - I'm glad you were open to the unexpected opportunities at the lab, like working with children. I'm sure you're flexibility will serve you well.
DeleteIt's pretty cool that you get to help out on any project going on, that must be a really rich experience.
DeleteI am an intern at a Landscaping and Civil Engineering firm called Cowen Design Group LLC. The work environment couldn't be better. The office space is open and comfortable. The space is well lit, and provides a relaxing environment. Each work space has more than enough room, which I found to be quite nice, and was different from my expectations. My boss provides free snacks and drinks for all colleagues. Her reasoning behind this is that if she provides these amenities than her team will be more focused on the tasks at hand; not having to leave the office as much. I very much so like this philosophy, and it reminds me of how Google treats their employees. My boss is very friendly and welcoming, as well as all of my co-workers. The office seems to get along quite nicely, and everyone enjoys what they do there. So far I have interacted most with the other intern working their. I have yet to be assigned any tasks, other than observing the other intern. I have learned a few things so far, relating to Sketchup and Autodesk Civil. Besides that I have not done any thing else for the three days being there. This is where my expectations have not been met. I would have expected to have been assigned a task, yet I have not. The other intern is assigned some tasks, but even he has been at times been doing nothing. I would prefer to actually be involved in something rather than just observing. My hope is that this will change in the upcoming week.
ReplyDeleteVery cool! Sounds like fun.
DeleteYour work environment sounds very welcoming and nice. Hopefully you do get assigned some tasks this week! Also, you compared the way your boss treats employees to the way Google treats theirs. Do you want to work for Google?
DeleteI think google is an amazing company, and that the way they treat their employees should be a model for other companies. But no, to answer your question, I do not want to work for google, simply because their field of work differs from mine.
DeleteCory - my expectation as well would be that you would have been assigned at least some rudimentary tasks at Cowen for the first week. How did you pass the time?
DeleteI, too, have been in that similar situation. Since I was only an intern, there wasn't much I could do at the time. But after I got used to their routine my mentors finally let me and my partner to help them out. In the end, I feel like it depends on the relationship you create with your mentor. The more your mentor is comfortable with you, the more they allow you to help them out! I hope it works out for you in the end!
DeleteMy first week of the internship wasn't at the internship site, because the Patent and Trade Office stopped accepting interns. My group and I, however, will work with Mr. Elkner at the Arlington Career Center in the field of Computer Science. The past week we worked from home and investigated multiple websites that Mr. Elkner provided for us. I analyzed the main website that is trying to release a new programming language known as 'Pyret.'
ReplyDeleteYour flexibility and autonomy are really being tested, Chase. I think NOVA Web Development will provide opportunities for some real world It experiences that you might not have gotten elsewhere.
DeleteMy experience with PRIME so far is quite different than that of most others. Unfortunately, there were some changes in plans so I and a few others worked from home on Thursday and Friday, and are not going to intern at the Patent and Trademark Office. On these days, Mr. Elkner supplied us with topics to investigate, and I chose to research and learn about Pyret, a programming language designed to be easy to pick up for newcomers. On Monday, we are meeting at the Career Center and we will begin working with NOVA Web Development.
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome! What type(s) of things do you think you will be working on with the NOVA Web Development?
DeleteYour ability to "roll with the punches" and adjust quickly to the demands of a new situation will be helpful to you in the future, Eric. Plus, the NOVA Web Development project is going to give you real world experiences you might not have gotten elsewhere.
DeleteDo you have prior programming experience? At my internship they are teaching many kids Python, although after looking it up, Pyret seems very similar. I hope you enjoy your internship!
DeleteI've had an enlightened few days at my internship. I did some bill research, as I am interning for state Senator Barbara Favola, and created a chart that will be used in the defense of her bill. I can't say that researching info for a bill is new, since I've done it before during my experiences with Model General Assembly, but it was fun researching something that wasn't for my own personal benefit. For my first few days, I worked at Senator Favola's home office, which is simply the front room of her house. I must admit it was slightly intimidating. I was in a professional's home, sitting at her table, drinking her tea, and listening to her family bustle about with their daily routines. They were not fazed in the slightest way however, since random people are always showing up, by way of the Senator. I also got to listen in on the conversations between the Senator and her assistant and whoever else called her. I really understand now that the politics you see on tv are only one part of the puzzle. There's a lot of phone calling, email sending, letter writing, fundraising, and campaign managing. It's a lot of behind the scenes work. Tomorrow I will go to the official office of Delegate Lopez, where I will be doing some bill research for him as well, which will be exciting. It's kind of rewarding to work on something that will benefit real people.
ReplyDeleteHey Taylor! This is really cool. Of course you are doing something with government ;) It's really interesting to hear about the behind the scenes stuff since all you hear about it the junk on TV.
DeleteThanks Laura!
DeleteTaylor - the middle of your entry, about working in Sen Favola's home - sound like the beginning of a bang-up college essay! Glad it all sorted out so well.
DeleteThat's so cool
DeleteMy internship is at the Andrew Rader Clinic in Fort Myer, a military base which includes a commissary, school, police office, and so much more. I was immediately in awe as I witnessed the community inside the base. The security and safety precautions needed to enter the base were formidable, yet the laughter of the kids playing on a swing set on the school playground showed no difference in innocence. I suppose I expected soldiers to be marching around uniformly and showing little emotion (sometimes I forget to think logically), so I was happily surprised to see soldiers joking around from time to time as I entered the clinic. For the past three days, I've been shadowing Dr. Gorski, an optometrist who taught me some basic knowledge about the eye and even allowed me to inspect a few of the patients' eyes. I must note, Dr. Gorski was not prepared for my arrival as MAJ Schmidt, one of Dr. Gorski's colleagues had been assigned as my mentor yet was not in office for the entire week. Nevertheless, Dr. Gorski greeted me with a smile and encouraged me to be curious. However, one downside of working in his office was a lack of action. A large portion of my time was spent sitting in a chair and waiting for the next patient to arrive, some not even showing up after all. Dr. Gorski tried his best to keep me engaged, but there was a limit to the amount of teaching he could give as he had work to do himself, and my questions would eventually whittle away just the same. Fortunately, Dr. Gorski sent me over to his technician, Eduardo, who both worked at the clinic as well as MyEyeDr. He showed me the differences between the two environments and how businesses are more likely to follow the money signs instead of a comprehensive eye exam for a patient. In addition, he wholeheartedly tried to persuade me to buy an iPhone. This resulted in many funny encounters as well as a lesson on how to use Snapchat. All of this was during our lunch break, yet while patients came in for screening, he was ready to work. Eduardo showed me how to use a few of the many instruments available which would approximate the prescription of an individual's eyes, and occasionally the pressure of one's eyes. During lunch I also met up with the other student interns at the Rader Clinic, and met a few of their mentors. They were extremely friendly and allow me something to look forward to. I expect that the coming weeks will only get more exciting as I gain experience (and not get lost) and hopefully help me decide on a field of medicine which I may pursue further as a career!
ReplyDeleteHey Julia! Your internship sounds really interesting! Fort Meyer seems like such a fun place to work. I'm glad that even though Dr. Gorski was not expecting you, he still was fun and tried to keep you engaged! I hope that things improve next week and that all goes well! It's fun that you get to do some hands on things and actually experience what it is like to check patients.
DeleteI always think of optometry as one of the more relaxed branches of medicine, don't you Julia? Although I supposed they may have their "all hands on deck" moments too. At least Dr. Gorski demonstrated his ability t quickly adjust to a new situation. :)
DeleteMy internship is at NVCT which stands for Northern Virginia Conservatory Trust. My mentor and colleagues are very friendly and passionate about what they do. The second I got there, I jumped right in into doing a project and attending meetings. Learning about what they do as well as 9-5 jobs in general is all ver fascinating. For my project, I spend a lot of time at my desk putting data into excel which will greatly simplify past history and research that needs doing in the future. Because of this, the project makes me happy and feel like I'm spending my time well. My mentor and coworkers are all very appreciative. Being at a desk for that long is a little tiring, but it is really good experience for future situations. One of my favorite things I've done was attend a roundtable meeting. This meeting takes place every 3 months so I'm glad I got to be a part of it. Environmental and earth specialists all came together and discussed conservation efforts and things that helped water quality and people all over the area. There were many people of many various occupations and it was interesting to learn about every single one. I'm glad I'm with such nice people at a small, but amazing job. Making a differencr is something I am passionate about and It's so nice to be able to help the environment and people at the same time.
ReplyDeleteHi Tony! Sounds like a fun internship in a field that truly matters. It also seems kind of nice to be in a small office where everyone knows each other well. Also, what good timing that you got to attend that roundtable meeting! What kind of conservation efforts is the NVCT currently working on?
DeleteSounds good so far, Tony. Any chance you'll be getting out in the field?
DeleteIt's amazing to hear that you immediately went and helped your coworkers, regardless of the task, and they were appreciative of your hard work as an intern!
DeleteMy internship is at the Andrew Radar Clinic at the Fort Myer-Henderson military base. It is a relatively small clinic, where I'll be doing rotations in logistics, dental care, optometry, physical therapy, medical records, and patient care. This week I was in logistics. The people who work there are responsible for receiving and delivering medical and government supplies around the clinic and making sure everything in the building is working properly. My first day at the clinic, one of the mentors named Mr. Washington took us on a detailed tour of the clinic, and then bought us ice-cream. Logistics isn't exactly the most exciting job at the clinic, but it is definitely one of the most important, since no operation in the clinic can function without them. I was originally supposed to watch the logistics team do work on the computer all day, but that would have been extremely boring. Instead, one of the mentors named Doug took me on a tour of the inner workings of the clinic, drove me too Fort McNair, bought me and another intern snacks, taught me to put in work orders on the computer, and let me shadow him as he repaired things around the building. He was the facilities manager, one of the most interesting jobs done on the logistics team, because he basically keeps the building running. I also got to ride in a government vehicle and deliver government materials and medicine around the clinic with another mentor named Dean. There was also another mentor named Sergeant Powell, who is retiring in seventeen days. His job is to make sure the clinic is following OSHA regulations, but to make his job seem more interesting he gave me popsicles, told terrible puns, and showed me a video on making a video game from an old microwave. On Friday, I met with the commander-in-chief, and four other uniformed persons who were in charge of different sections and offices in the clinic. I also had the opportunity to watch two board review. Soldiers were being tested for possible promotion, and the environment was very tense. During break and lunch time, I would watch news or soap operas with the other interns, eat ice cream and down whipped cream while spinning on a chair, or sleep. I've learned many lessons during my rotation at logistics, one being that even though my mentors jobs to me were monotonous, the people there are what make the job more engaging; the job is what you make it to be. I expected to be interacting with people and to be engaged in the job my mentor was performing; logistics definitely surpassed my expectation. My next rotation is in dental care and I am very excited for another week at Andrew Radar Health clinic.
ReplyDeleteThis all sound so cool!
DeleteSounds like you're having a good time Nicole! It's always cool to see how different departments are run and managed. It seems nice that you will be able to rotate around and not just have to stay in one place. Do you switch every week? Have fun in dental care!
DeleteNicole, you may have already had one of your most important insights, namely that people make the job what it is, Just imagine what Logistics would be like without the people you met last week!
DeleteAfter our first week, things are going great! I'm working with Kara on designing a 3D test environment with an Oculus Rift for a research program involving inner ear balance. Much of the first days went into researching 3D software and the various methods that could be used to accomplish our goal. Our supervisor didn't give us much structure or guidelines on how to go about our work, so we had to do a lot of research and figure it out for ourselves. We were originally working with Hammer, and game engine used on Steam, to build our 3D environment, but we have recently moved to Unreal engine. Unreal has many capabilities and a much larger ceiling for what we can accomplish. Another aspect of our work is actually getting to use the Oculus, which is a lot of fun. Getting to experience the virtual environments is pretty cool, and I'm glad that I was given the opportunity to work on this project. I think that so far, things have been what I expected, but that's partly because I came in twice prior to the internship to set things up, so I already knew what to expect.
ReplyDeleteThis is so cool!
DeleteSince you are using software, are you interested in computer science? Or are you interested in the study of deaf people and simply using computer science as a gateway for that?
DeleteI'm definitely interested in computer science! I've taken a bunch of classes and worked on my own so I have some prior knowledge. I would say that this project is almost entirely computer programming. The study involving deaf people and inner ear balance is really interesting but it's not our primary focus.
DeleteIain - were you aware of the "R&D" that would have to be done before you could start programming?
DeleteWhat language are you programming in? How hard is it to program for the Oculus?
DeleteMy first week at Thinkabit was much different than I expected; the hours and environment were more relaxed and flexible, which puts the burdens on the interns to finish their work responsibly (which I like a lot). Currently I am immersed in a few projects, but I spend most of my time deconstructing and retrofitting a wheelchair to be controlled with an iPad or smartphone. We attempted to reproduce the signals from the remote by probing the serial outputs, but somehow fried the circuit in the process. This made it impossible to manually control the joystick, or even replace the joystick with coils to reproduce the hall effect for the sensors. So this week, the goal is to use control theory to regulate the voltage directly from the battery for each wheel. I suspect this will involve a good amount of mathematics, which excites me because it is an area which I am interested in.
ReplyDeleteI hope to get involved in more projects soon, but as of right now I enjoy working on difficult projects with the resources I need. One of the projects I am looking into is analyzing data regarding the participants in the lab, especially which come from poorer areas to expose them to programming and robotics. I feel motivated to get others interested in computers, especially if they have less opportunities than I have had.
Hi Alex! Having a relaxed environment seems really good for an internship, and that project with the wheelchair seems really interesting. What is control theory? What other projects will you be working on later?
Deletethis seems like a good fit for a self-starter like you, Holden. Glad you got some math in there, too!
DeleteWhat kind of data will you be analyzing? Is it a large number of small things or more dense?
DeleteI am working at a local theatre company taking pictures from past shows and uploading them to Flick. This way, actors who were in the shows can see them or people interested in the company can look at them. I get to work from home which is REALLY nice and my mentor checks in on my work and emails me what he thinks. It's really cool to get to see pictures from other shows that I didn't see and look to see how they turned out. My mentor gave me 3 seasons of pictures thinking it would last me longer, but I am almost done with it. He got a huge bag full of CDs of pictures from other shows, so he is going to scan them and send them to me. It is really chill, so I am very happy with the internship! I am starting working at another place called CostumeLab tomorrow doing costuming/inventory for them. I am excited to get to see what they have in store for me!
ReplyDeleteDo you think your experience would be any different if you weren't working from home?
DeleteLaura, I think one of the disadvantages of working from home can be the lack of a peer group - or even a boss - to bounce ideas off of, to chat with, to listen to breathing in the same room. Are you feeling that lack after three days on your own? How often did you Skpe or make other contact with John? Did you ever make it to the play>
DeleteWorking from seems really nice, especially having the freedom to go at your on pace.
DeleteI have been working at the Arlington Chamber of Commerce. It has been such a great experience so far! My boss, Ms. Taylor has assigned me very cool tasks already, working on the YEA! page, creating flyers for the Secrets to Success event, and keeping up their social media accounts to promote more upcoming events. I work on different things each day and can't wait to see whats in store next! Everything I have worked on so far is exactly what I am interested in and I hope to learn more about the business industry each day! Everyone I'm working with is very helpful and inclusive. They ask if I need any help and encourage that I ask any questions that I may have. The first day they treated me to lunch which was very kind. The atmosphere is so warm and positive. My overall first week at the Chamber would be a 10/10.
ReplyDeleteWhat does the Chamber of Commerce do within Arlington?
DeleteIt's awesome that the place you are interning at has you learn about the things you actually interested in! Do you think this internship will help you decide about what you will want to do in the future?
DeleteSounds terrific, Angelika. Keep up the positive attitude; I'm sure it contributes to the positive way you are treated.
DeleteI have been working at the Ballston Animal Hospital. The work done there is incredibly fun and interesting. All of the vet technicians and veterinarians have been friendly and willing to teach and talk with me about various activities. My mentor is a veterinarian. Every day is something new with the animals and procedures preformed on them. The activities range from normal, annual appointments and shots, to things like anesthetics and surgery! Me expectations are met and exceeded, and I have been having fun all along the way. I'm looking forward to my next few weeks working there.
ReplyDeleteThat seems like a really fun internship! Do you get to shadow the vet into the room when he/she is giving diagnoses/shots/etc? Have fun this week!
DeleteOff to a good start, Adam; I look forward to hearing what you are learning.
DeleteI did not have any first impressions until today (because the first week of my internship was canceled). From what I have seen everyone at NOVA Web Development wants to be there and enjoys what they do. It is a very self-motivated group that enjoys the exploration of technology. Everyone welcomes criticism and critique. I have already learned a lot about how to use applications that are commonplace in the professional environment. I look forward to working with everyone here.
ReplyDeleteAs you may have already learned, Duncan, and certainly will experience in the adult work world, the ability to welcome criticism and critiqued is a rare and wonderful thing. Cherish and learn from it!
DeleteThat sounds very interesting, and I'm sorry your first week was cancelled. What kind of web development specifically are you doing at NOVA? Also, what other "exploration of technology" exists at your internship?
DeleteIn working at RNL Design I have already learned RevIt, a software that I wouldn't have otherwise gotten to experience. The environment is incredibly supportive and laid back. Much more so than an academic environment, everyone sticks to their own tasks and when the talk to one another, it is more cordial. Everyone seems to be on the same "team", so to speak. I am interested to know if this is different in different work environments. The open office structure encourages collaboration, rather than competition, and the architecture field is incredibly collaborative. While I enjoy working here very much, sometimes I find that I run out of work to do. While I don't feel like a burden on the staff, as they are quite welcoming, I explore the projects they have been working on and that the larger company does, which is a blessing in disguise. Interestingly, RNL was acquired by Stantec Engineering recently, and it provides me with several new opportunities. Holistically, this placement has exceeded my expectations in all respects.
ReplyDeleteI am glad to hear that you are using your innate initiative and the collaborative nature of your internship field to learn all you can during your time at RNL, Jaya. I was also surprised to hear of their acquisition by Stantec; that seems like such a big change for them.
DeleteMy first week in my internship was to do some research in WebGLStudio. I'm working in the career center in NOVA web development.
ReplyDeleteWhat did you discover during this week? How is this type of research different from other research you have done for school?
ReplyDeleteMy mentor and me get along and his co- workers treat me well. The environment is what I didn’t expect everyone was friendly and humorous. They even have a hawaiian T- shirt day every Friday. I was the photographer that week. In the first day of my internship I was supposed to bring steel toe boots which I didn’t have yet. My mentor thought it was better for me to read about Abingdon Elementary School design concept reports to understand the building more. He explained what we’ll be doing during the internship like attending meetings, visit construction sites, and meet Ms. Renee who is a construction manager in Abingdon. During the internship I got to see building drawings that were made by a program called Revit. Which I’m familiar with. In the first week I didn’t do much but sit and listen to meetings. I real wanted to go out see the construction sites but I knew that I’ll be going to it soon.
ReplyDeleteConstruction is really cool. How did you become interested in construction?
DeleteDuring my first week of the internship I quickly realized that my mentor, Dr. Marie Schum-Brady, leads a jammed packed and exciting life. She cares for hundreds of Medicare and Medicaid patients for who'm often times she is the only source of medical help. She is always on call and gives a 110% to each and everyone one of her patients. Considering all of this, it is amazing that she always makes time for me and really emphasized the importance of me getting the most our of the internship. She is able to turn every situation into a learning experience, and just in the first week, I've learned so much valuable information that I know I will be using for the rest of my life. I've been getting along really well with my co-woorkers, Bag and Bola. We even go out for lunch together and joke around in the office. So far, I've primarily been pulling medical charts and entering information into a database. I also help Dr. Schum-Brady prepare for the day's patients by reviewing medical history and making sure that any and all labs and prescription information has been sent out. Once the patients arrive, Bagi and I take their vitals; which includes their height, weight, blood pressure, pulse, and desperation. Finally, I get to sit in on most of the appointments and take notes. In the coming weeks, Dr. Schum-Brady is planning to take me on at least one house call, a fact that I'm very excited about. I'll also hopefully be able to observe an appointment of another doctor who uses the office. He is a naturopath, so his work will be particularly interesting to observe. So far, the internship has exceeded my expectation because of the sheer amount of information that I'm learning. I never expected to learn so much in a single week.
ReplyDeleteI think the medical fields are interesting. It's great that your mentor is really exciting!
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