How to apply for hospital internship? (Sorry for another internship post)

[StriveForGlory]

Ok so I am looking to apply to hospital internships in a nearby city within the next year. The only problem is the hospital websites dont really have any information on them. Two have a short paragraph about internships but dont have any contact info. The others dont even have anything about internships in general. So how should I approach this?

1. Who should I contact? Go straight for the DOP or try to contact someone else?
2. How should I contact them? Should I ask if there is an internship to begin with or should I just express interest. And if I email them should I automatically send my resume or should I wait for a response first?
3. Is there an optimal time to apply for internships that last throughout the school year? (Rather than just summer internships)

I know this seems like a stupid question but I already tried to get in contact with like five hospitals. Only two replied and they both just told me that I should have an intern permit and to email them my resume. Well my permit is currently being processed so that is what I told them and then I attached my resume. Is that the wrong way to go? Should I wait until I have the permit in hand and then just contact all of the DOPs in the city?

Thanks!

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[bacillus1]

Ok so I am looking to apply to hospital internships in a nearby city within the next year. The only problem is the hospital websites dont really have any information on them. Two have a short paragraph about internships but dont have any contact info. The others dont even have anything about internships in general. So how should I approach this?

1. Who should I contact? Go straight for the DOP or try to contact someone else?
2. How should I contact them? Should I ask if there is an internship to begin with or should I just express interest. And if I email them should I automatically send my resume or should I wait for a response first?
3. Is there an optimal time to apply for internships that last throughout the school year? (Rather than just summer internships)

I know this seems like a stupid question but I already tried to get in contact with like five hospitals. Only two replied and they both just told me that I should have an intern permit and to email them my resume. Well my permit is currently being processed so that is what I told them and then I attached my resume. Is that the wrong way to go? Should I wait until I have the permit in hand and then just contact all of the DOPs in the city?

Thanks!

This seems to be standard procedure for places I've applied:
1)Search on the hospitals' websites if they have openings for pharmacy interns (or techs, if the hospital doesn't have an official intern designation).
2)Complete application
3)If no response within 3 weeks or so, call DoP and introduce yourself, and mention that you've submitted an application for the intern position. Then (s)he will review your application. Make sure you do talk to the DoP. I've called HR people, and my application never got to the interview stage for that hospital.
4)With luck, you'll be called in for an interview
5)If no response (I guess within deadline they gave, or within a reasonable amt. of time) get in contact with DoP and see what's going on.

Now, other people may have done this differently, and I still don't have a hospital job (long thread about what happened with the previous one I applied for). Don't get discouraged if there's a long time that you won't get a job (and by a long time I mean 6+ months). If you take a retail job during that time is up to you, but I'd say why not, the hospital might not even give you that many hours if it hires you.
It seems like good times to apply are now (I see jobs popping up) and around February-March (when hospitals are recruiting for people to start in the summer).

 

[StriveForGlory]

So intern openings will be posted on the job listings just as tech openings are? For some reason I thought intern applications for hospitals were a bit more discreet and involved direct communication with the pharmacy department.

Also where are these applications that you filled out? Online? Because I couldn't find online applications for the hospitals that I was looking at.

Thanks for the reply!

 

[bacillus1]

So intern openings will be posted on the job listings just as tech openings are? For some reason I thought intern applications for hospitals were a bit more discreet and involved direct communication with the pharmacy department.

Also where are these applications that you filled out? Online? Because I couldn't find online applications for the hospitals that I was looking at.

Thanks for the reply!

Yeah, it generally posts the job, and then there's an "apply for this job" button. Also keep in mind that some smaller hospitals don't have interns, so you'd work there as a tech. I'm just saying how it is in Philly, maybe it's different in Jersey?
I guess it wouldn't hurt to talk to the DoP if there are no jobs posted, don't know how seriously they'd take you, but if they replied to you to send resume, that's good.

 

[owlegrad]

Ok so I am looking to apply to hospital internships in a nearby city within the next year. The only problem is the hospital websites dont really have any information on them. Two have a short paragraph about internships but dont have any contact info. The others dont even have anything about internships in general. So how should I approach this?

1. Who should I contact? Go straight for the DOP or try to contact someone else?
2. How should I contact them? Should I ask if there is an internship to begin with or should I just express interest. And if I email them should I automatically send my resume or should I wait for a response first?
3. Is there an optimal time to apply for internships that last throughout the school year? (Rather than just summer internships)

I know this seems like a stupid question but I already tried to get in contact with like five hospitals. Only two replied and they both just told me that I should have an intern permit and to email them my resume. Well my permit is currently being processed so that is what I told them and then I attached my resume. Is that the wrong way to go? Should I wait until I have the permit in hand and then just contact all of the DOPs in the city?

Thanks!

Cold Calls! Call the DOP, introduce yourself, express interest in interning, ask if you can meet in person to discuss possible opportunities. Don't bother with anyone less than the DOP, they may be great people they can't help you get a position. They are either interested or they are not. Emails may work for some but I find them too impersonal and much too easy to ignore. Everyone seems to have a different story about how they got a hospital internship and this is what worked for me. I liked what someone said in a different thread about timidity not being your friend here. Good Luck and I hope you get a story to tell others down the line. 😉

 

[pearljam5a1]

My experience has been similar to bacillus1. I kept checking the local hospital employment websites for any openings. I applied to every prn tech opening I could find and got a few interviews. I didn't get the job because they wanted me to work more hours than I was comfortable with during school. The director kept my name down for when she had an intern position open. I ended up interning at a different hospital within the same hospital system and in 6 months I was able to transfer to my original choice.

I think I applied to enough tech/intern positions that they eventually got tired of seeing my name come up and hired me just to make it stop 🙄.

 

[Its Z]

The landscape of Hospital Pharmacy Internship has changed. Many different reasons.

1. Staffing pressure of hospital pharmacy based on census volume.
2. Pharmacy leadership with a lack of motivation to foster pharmacy students.
3. Not enough emphasis from pharmacy schools with connection to local hospital.

And I'm not talking about school clerkship.

When I was in school, our hospital had 12 to 14 interns, all from USC working the weekends as techs. It worked out well. Techs worked M-F and interns worked Sat-Sun... thogh techs took turns supervising the interns somewhat. The DOP and the pharmacy manager were all SC grad..and of course in LA, USC was the only game in town.

typically P3 and P4 intern was designated as the senior intern and took care of the youngins.

I just don't see this happening today.. though, if I ever go back being a DOP, I would try that again...staff the weekends with interns.

To answer the OP, just call the damn DOPs... leave a message...then email him/her. You aint bothering no one... send em your resume ...beg to get hired.. go volunteer for free...

 

[Carboxide]

I've had a hard time figuring out how to find any info on DOPs...how do you do that?

 

[Its Z]

mmm....call the hospial

you. hi inpatient pharmacy please?

pharmacy. pharamcy...this is XXXXXX can i help u?

you. yes..could i speak to the director or a supervisor in charge of personnel and hiring?

 

[AcclratngCharge]

To answer the OP, just call the damn DOPs... leave a message...then email him/her. You aint bothering no one... send em your resume ...beg to get hired.. go volunteer for free...
mmm....call the hospial

you. hi inpatient pharmacy please?

pharmacy. pharamcy...this is XXXXXX can i help u?

you. yes..could i speak to the director or a supervisor in charge of personnel and hiring?

👍 rocket science

 

[jGpharmD]

great advice z and owlegrad.

i actually just called up to a couple of the hospitals i'm interested in. got one voicemail, and one on the phone.

of course, most student positions are filled up already so, fingers crossed.