This week’s co-op celeb, Avni Sheth, a 20-year-old biology major from West Caldwell, New Jersey, works at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in a clinical research support position. Avni is the first co-op student to work in the clinical research support department. If you or someone you know is a biology major, you can understand how much of an achievement Avni’s co-op really is.
Avni is part of Drexel’s four-year one co-op program. She was hoping to find a co-op that would combine the aspects of medicine she was interested in—and she did just that. “While working on clinical studies, I go to various parts of the CHOP campus like the Colket Translational Research Building, Abramson Research Center, and the Main Hospital as well,” she said.
Working at CHOP, a leading hospital in children’s healthcare, means gaining lots of valuable exposure in the field of clinical medicine. Avni shared her favorite part of the job, “Being a pre-medical student, my favorite part of my co-op is going on patient visits. I have been able to sit in on PET/CT scans, echocardiograms, and many other simple procedures that assist with the clinical trials,” she said.
A typical day on the job consists of many diverse tasks. “The clinical research support office has shown me a new side to the medical field. Pediatric clinical research is completely different because it combines both the administrative and clinical aspects of medicine. As the first co-op student in this department, I [have] been able to experience and witness many different parts of a clinical trial. I shadow during many patient visits, help consent the patients to the clinical study, and organize data from the patient charts,” she said.
So, how did she end up with this amazing opportunity? Though some students find luck with an outside search, Avni recommends using the online SCDC job search when looking for the perfect co-op. She also added that it’s important to be open-minded when job hunting. “I actually didn’t like the job description but after the interview, I learned that it would be a lot more clinically based than the description stated,” she said.
For anyone going through the co-op process now or in the future, Avni has some advice. “I would recommend that you apply to the 25 application maximum because you never know which position you might end up liking!” she said.
Job interviews can be a frightening, especially when combined with classes and finals! Avni gave us some tips that helped her during the interview process. “I remember being absolutely terrified for interviews but after the first one, I promise it gets a lot better. I would recommend just being yourself when answering questions. Also, I noticed that I had gained more confidence during the second half of my interviews. So if there is a co-op you really want, try scheduling it as your last interview, this way you have more experience from the previous interviews,” she said.
Avni also recommended some stores that sell awesome business attire. “I found a lot of good business casual clothes at Kohl’s and New York & Company, especially when there were sales going on!” she said.
As a junior, Avni is beginning to think a lot about her future. After graduation, Avni will continue to pursue medicine. “My plan is to go on to medical school. I am still unsure of what specialty I would like to focus on, but I am leaning towards pediatrics because I love working with kids,” she said. Well, all of us from HC Drexel wish her the best!