First Impressions From Day One Of My Internship

By Natalia K.

Workplace:

What struck me most about the workplace on my first day was how big the health department in Tacoma is.  My first day of training, I met another woman who just started working at the health department in the methadone program. She is a counselor who helps people who have drug problems. She was really passionate about what she does, and she was really excited to start working at the health department.

Colleagues:

My first days at this job were very welcoming; I found that my colleagues were very friendly and positive people. They made me feel welcome and wanted to get to know me. I also observed a very friendly atmosphere between the colleagues and their supervisors. My supervisors were also very patient and helpful throughout my training.

Most excited about:

I am most excited about getting the opportunity to work at a health department, not only to see what kinds of jobs are available at the health department, but also to explore the types of people that work in these careers. I am hoping to get the opportunity to see if I would like to work alongside people such as these.

I am looking forward to starting my first real 9-5 job experience, even though it’s only temporary. I am also excited about getting to work with the community of Tacoma as well as getting to learn about other people’s careers in the health department. I am also really excited for the day that I get to shadow another person who works in the health department. During my interview interview, my supervisors said that every intern gets the opportunity to shadow someone else in the health department for a whole workday. This is really a cool opportunity because I will further get to explore other careers in the health department.

Most worried about:

I am most worried about being the new intern, because I feel very young to be working an adult job. I am also worried about making mistakes, or not learning things quickly enough during training.