Check out Brittney Ortiz, our October featured student employee! She is the student staff president and a liberal arts student ambassador!
Meet Brittney
What tips do you have for other students who are searching for a part-time position?
"Try to find a job either in the same field or similar to what you are wanting to do once you graduate. It helps so much with school because you can be a step ahead. Also try to work on campus, they are so flexible with your schedule and know that being a student comes first. I don’t know how many times that has came in handy when I felt like I needed to study a bit more for test or papers that were due."
What tips would you provide to other students on how to get the most out of their work experience?
"Don’t be afraid to try different things. You may be hired for one job, but that doesn’t mean that is what you are limited to. I was hired in the finance team, but have been able to work in clinics and our residency program. It builds your resume so much and helps prove to yourself that you are capable for anything. If you can branch out to different things inside your job, it also might help open some doors down the road when you graduate. Some things that you may do might help you in ways that you would have never guessed or even tried without the job you are in."
What advice would you give someone who is trying to gain experience for their future career?
"No matter what field it is, working somewhere will always help, and skills can be transferred so easily if you can’t seem to find a undergrad job right away. Find ones that may be similar or connects with them in some way. Once you start working, there might be a possibility to work with them eventually. Also if you break out of your shell earlier in your job, it makes it a lot funnier when you start. Make sure to be the one who connects with your supervisors often because they will be the ones to help you connect in some form to other possibilities."
Description of the video:
[MUSIC PLAYING] BRITTNEY ORTIZ: So I'm Brittney Ortiz. I just graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Medical Humanities and Health Studies and a Bachelor of Arts in Medical Sociology. And I'm incoming a-- the advanced-- a BSN, advanced bachelor's program for nursing school. So--
So it's actually really fun. I started off my sophomore year, and when I did it, I was super nervous because you're with doctors. There's the vice chair and chairs in here, and they're your boss. I was terrified. Every time I saw them, I was like, no, I'm going to get fired for falling over.
But I've actually got to do a whole bunch of stuff. So I was hired for the finance team, but I've helped now with the student health clinics, like the flu shots and all that, and then also for the residency program. So I've been able to do a million different things for just one job that I was hired for.
So I started-- I think when I started, I wanted to be a pediatrician, being a medical doctor for kids. But I was like-- as I worked at the residency, I was like, they have to do a lot before they become a doctor. That's too much. So then I decided to become a pediatric nurse practitioner.
And I was like, working in the School of Medicine will hopefully push me forward to see what I will be doing. And then since I work at the clinic as well, that's basically what I'd be doing, but obviously not that set of demographic, but little kids. So being able to actually work in the medical field as a college student.
Just being able to do a whole lot of different stuff in this department, because I've now been able to meet almost everyone in the department. They might have not met me, but I know their name because I have to do so many different things with everyone. So learning all the new people and just being a part of the department.
TANYA KING: My name is Tanya King, and I am the office manager that is now segueing into the assistant business manager. I just got that position. And I supervise Brittney as our student worker. I've been here 2 and 1/2 years.
Oh my gosh, where do you start? I mean, you talked to her. She's a go-getter. She's just always got this positive attitude.
And we could be having the worst day, and you talk to Brittney, and it's like, oh, OK, you know what? Things aren't so bad. Because she goes, we could do it. We could fix anything.
And she's got a real team spirit about her, you know? It doesn't matter what you ask her to do. And she's never like, that's not my job. I wasn't hired for that. She'll pitch in, she'll roll her sleeves up, she'll help.
She helps with campus health, she helps with the residency, any department, anything. And she just makes you feel good about a better job, you know? She brings a lot of good spirit to us.
BRITTNEY ORTIZ: So I did it because the first-- when I was a sophomore, I got accepted to do the work-study program through FAFSA. And I was like, well, I have to do that. It gives me money. Why not?
So I was looking at any jobs related to the medical field, and there was this one and a couple of others. And I was like, oh, I'll just apply, see what happens. Who knows? I've never done anything like this, I worked at a barbecue restaurant. So I was like, we'll see. And then I got this job.
TANYA KING: Well, it was sort of that. It was just the attitude. You could just tell, you know, there's just more about her. It was just a sense of peace and a sense of harmony that she brought to the table, that I'll do anything. And you could just feel that.
BRITTNEY ORTIZ: So like I said, I want to be a pediatric nurse practitioner. So I got into the finance, the background stuff. I was like, knowing this could probably help me in my future, just because you never know what's going to come at you just working at your own clinic. And then I get to help out the other clinics and just get to hop around to different parts of this department.
And they're definitely a whole lot helpful with like, school comes first. So if I felt like I need to take a day off for an exam, they're like, oh, yeah, that's fine. Just go ahead, we'll see you next time. It's definitely better to feel like you have someone to push you more.
TANYA KING: Well, she-- I mean, she's still got some talents we haven't even tapped yet, I'm sure. But no matter what it is we ask of her, you know, we could explain it to her, and she'll always take it a step further. She'll go in and she'll do trainings for it, or she'll write her own SOPs for it.
And she just does that extra step just so that she understands it better and she can even learn it better. And there's things that she's turned around and taught me about things. So you know, that's-- just the fact that she wants to know more, and to be more, and to be better.
I've never been a supervisor before. So I was anxious about it and just the fact that I wanted to be a good mentor. She taught me that it's OK, that even if I don't know it all and I'm trying to show her something, we can learn it together.
She showed me what it's like to see the light bulb come on when I do explain things to her. And she gives me a sense of accomplishment that I've taught her something. And I learn from her as well.
We always are looking every semester, I think. Because we have students that are graduating, there are students that are moving on, or students whose work-study has expired. They've used it all. And so we'd always be looking to fill places.
BRITTNEY ORTIZ: So I hate not doing anything. Like, I have a problem just sitting around. And once I graduated this summer, I've been like, what am I going to do? I go to work during the weekday, but I got two days of the weekend and when I get off work.
So I pick up random stuff. I did diamond painting, if you ever know what that is. They're little, very small jewels that you put onto a thing. I own a Cricut, so I've just gone crazy in making all this stuff. I made cups and everything.
I just can't not do anything. So anything I do, I'm like, OK, I have five minutes, let's learn something else.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Meet Academic and Career Development
University College is the academic home and advising resource for most first-year students at IU Indianapolis. We also work with students beyond the first year as they prepare for admission to a degree-granting program. Academic and Career Development offers you a team of student success advisors and career consultants to help you explore your interests, choose a major, and create a plan to achieve your academic and personal goals. Once you transition to your degree-granting school, you could work with advisors, career professionals, and even faculty to prepare for a successful career.