Reese Shastal
Student Medical Support Assistant
Student Health and Wellness
How did you find your position? What was the process like from application to the offer stage? Please detail your experience.
I found my position on JobX. The process involved filling out an application and writing a few paragraphs in response to some specific questions the hiring team had. The hiring team invited me for an interview which lasted about thirty minutes, and later I was notified by email that they wanted to offer me the job!
What made you apply for your position?
I knew this job would be a great fit because it would allow me to have a positive impact on every other student who uses the services at SHaW. It means a lot to me to be around kind people who genuinely care about the work they do, and I have certainly found my people at SHaW!
How have you been able to balance your schoolwork and work responsibilities? Please provide details of any challenges or hurdles you have encountered.
I have found that effective time management skills are critical for succeeding as both a student and a student employee. Dividing longer chunks of time into “bite-sized” and focused portions has been the key for me.
What are your personal keys to success and what aspects of your job do you find the most fulfilling?
It’s my belief that combining kindness, integrity, and an eagerness to learn and do better will always lead to recognition and appreciation. I’m always most fulfilled when I’m able to play a direct role in improving the student experience at SHaW. Sometimes, newer (or even not so new!) students are unfamiliar with the way SHaW works or with the resources that are available at SHaW. It makes me so happy to see a fellow student’s face change from appearing slightly nervous to fully comfortable and smiling all in one visit!
Describe your typical day at work?
I usually work on either the first or second floor in the SHaW building. No matter what my goals for the day are, I always make sure I’m available for students who come in for their appointments. When a student arrives, it’s my job to guide them to the appropriate check-in station before taking their vitals and showing them to their provider’s office. After the appointment, I sometimes take the student to the pharmacy, lab, or radiology depending on what they need. Apart from this, I typically spend my time cleaning and stocking the patient care rooms and ensuring there are enough point-of-care tests (for strep throat, COVID-19, influenza, etc.) on hand for the day. After and in between all of this, I check in with the nursing staff and providers to see if there is anything else that needs to get done that day. I enjoy that no two days are entirely the same!
What skills have you acquired or developed in your on-campus job?
I feel very fortunate to observe many of the meaningful interactions between the students and providers/nursing staff at SHaW. These moments have taught me the most about what it means to work in a clinical environment. Healthcare services require an extremely nuanced combination of compassion, respect, and sensitivity to build the requisite trust for a quality patient experience. Like anything else, observation aids in learning and I’m thankful that I’ve been able to learn how to be a confident and effective member of the team from the nurses, providers, and lab staff at SHaW. My goal is to apply to medical school after graduation, and I know for an absolute fact that the skills I’ve learned at SHaW will make me a better physician for my patients in the future.
