Rhode Island Hospital

Research Intern

June 2021 • Providence, RI

What I liked

Working at the Liver Research Center in conjunction with Rhode Island Hospital and Brown Alpert Medical School in Dr. Wands' lab for the summer and continuing today has been an amazing experience so far. I had been wanting a research experience for a long time and through my time at the lab, I've gained so much in terms of learning new wet-lab techniques such as western blotting and creating assays, analyzing tumors, and working in a professional laboratory environment, which have all helped boost me towards discovering my current passions to pursue research. Also, I've loved meeting new people and researchers who are experts in their respective fields and gaining advice and knowledge.

What I wish was different

Some days, I do not have much to do, which can be challenging since I want to be active in the lab, however, it's also a learning experience since sometimes the lab is not as busy due to experiments running or down time.

Advice

One piece of advice to share about this experience is to try finding experiences like this, be proactive and take initiative to reach out to researchers and express your interest in their research, as well as your interest in potentially working with them. This will help researchers believe in you and want you to be there. Once you have an opportunity, make sure to take it very seriously and do your best.

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Volunteer

June - August 2019 • Providence, RI

What I liked

I was able to learn more in depth about different genetic disorders and how doctors go about discussing genetic disorders with their patients.

What I wish was different

I wish I was able to see more patients with the Genetic counselors and rarer genetic disorders.

Advice

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Student Nurse Intern

May - October 2019 • Providence, RI

What I liked

Experience in the hospital setting working with interdisciplinary teams.

What I wish was different

Better communication and staffing

Advice

Stay organized and work on time management.

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Student Nurse Intern

June 2019 • Providence, RI

What I liked

I liked that I was able to work closely with patients and gain valuable experience. And also I loved how this was a floating position in which I was able to see many different units and roles within the nursing profession.

What I wish was different

Nothing actually comes to mind at the moment.

Advice

Network!!! It is so important to meet new people and get your name out there.

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Office Assistant

May - August 2018 • Providence, RI

What I liked

I enjoyed having responsibilities that were actually directly helping patients get in to see Dr. W. Curt Lafrance. I sent out records requests to hospitals, doctors, therapists, and case workers, and informational packets to potential patients. It was very rewarding knowing I was speeding along the process of getting them the help they needed. I also loved getting to use my knowledge of the Spanish language for something useful -- a patient came in only speaking Spanish and the secretary couldn't find the Spanish form, so I offered to help. They were so thankful and I was reaffirmed in why I'm studying Spanish in the first place.

What I wish was different

I actually ended up running out of work to do by the time I left for the summer -- they had been pretty backed up in the office getting records, but by my fifth week I had exhausted the work they had given me to do.

Advice

Always make an effort to get to know the other doctors and researchers in the office -- you never know what amazing connections you may make.

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Research Assistant

June 2018 • Providence, RI

What I liked

I liked the clinical research portion at the beginning of the summer where I was working with and recruiting patients for our studies. I also really enjoy the current chart review that I am working on now. It is really intersting getting to see the initial dispositions of the patients and what interventions were taken for each one.