Bellevue PHC

[nycNerd]

I was wondering if any of you have participated in Bellevue Hospital's Project Healthcare summer program? If you have, please share something about your experience and/or the application process...i'm thinking about applying.

Thanks!

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[nycNerd]

bump

 

[aristotle123]

I was wondering if any of you have participated in Bellevue Hospital's Project Healthcare summer program? If you have, please share something about your experience and/or the application process...i'm thinking about applying.

Thanks!

I did the program a few years back. It's a great program that really gives you a really good glimpse of what to expect as a doctor. It's a really intense summer program though -- so if you get selected, be prepared to plan your life around your hours. You spend a lot of time in the ER but you do rotate to other areas including surgery, social work, etc. You are assigned shifts (at least in my year we were) and you dont really have much say in how many nights /weekends you work. But in the end, you get to witness extraordinary things in your rotations around the hospital. I really enjoyed it-- you'll have a wealth of good experience to talk about when you interview. Each year the program is run by students from the previous year. The application process is pretty selective- you have to write an essay that is pretty thoroughly examined. If you make the cut- you go on an interview and tour. If you're selected, then you go through a week long hospital orientation where they certify you in basic life support CPR and other stuff. One warning though-- this experience is NOT glorious and not fluffy. If you have trouble dealing with people who are less fortunate, homeless, drug addicts, mentally ill, etc. i would not recommend this for you. If you can handle all that or think you need more exposure to these issues, then this experience is really worth the time committment.

 

[nycNerd]

Thanks.

The application asks for two references...any idea what kind of references they want? They also don't ask for letters of recommendation...which i find odd

 

[Doc802]

I did the program this past summer. It was an eye opening experience, and one I'll never forget. I definately left NYC at the end of the summer with lots of stories to tell. I saw everything from cockroaches in ear canals to brain surgery to remove a brain abcess to patients dying directly in front of me. It's definatley a program that I would recommend to anyone who needs clinical experience. This isn't a program where you follow around doctors and nurses to observe what they do, you have your own responsibilities. Doctors and nurses rely on you to do ECGs, do simple first aid, and keep the patients as happy as possible. They definately put you to work, but that's what kept it from getting boring. I did an average of 12 ECGs per 5 hour shift.

As for the time commitment, it didn't take up that much time. I had anywhere from no shifts in a given week to 4 shifts a week (a shift is five hours long). Rarely did anyone in the program have 5 shifts per week. Many people in the program had jobs on the side, including me, and it wasn't at all difficult to do both. If needed, your allowed to ask people to either cover your shift or switch shifts with you. I think we were only allowed three of those though. At the beginning of the program, when we first got our schedules, we were given time to switch shifts with people that we knew we wouldn't be able to do.

As for the application process, I didn't think it was bad at all. I wrote my essay in a couple of days. Really try to emphasize how much you want to have the opportunity to help the staff there, how you would like to use the program to help you decide on your future career plans, and what you have to offer Bellevue Hospital (knowing a second language is very good). Many of the people who were accepted knew a second language, as the physicians and nurses in the emergency room have difficulty communicating with the diverse number of languages spoken by patients. That was also something emphasized in the interviews ie. if you're comfortable with working with a diverse population of people, if you've ever had to resolve conflict, etc. The interview was VERY laid back. Make sure you dress fairly well for the interview day.

If you have anymore questions feel free to email me at [email protected]. Good luck.

 

[Doc802]

As for the references, they didn't ever actually end up checking them. They had a record number of people apply last year and simply didn't have the time or resources to check the references of the 400 people selected for an interview. They may have checked them later on in the program when the numbers were lower, but I highly doubt it.

 

[CardiacIntensivist]

After 3 years of applying I finally got an interview!!!! I'm really excited about this program and would absolutely love to do it. I was wondering if there are any people who remember the interview and the summer experience enough to answer a few of my questions?