Tech World: Student Overcomes Her Shyness to Land Dream Job

Kunjal Dodhia recently joined Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, MA, as a clinical engineering planner. She has a degree in biomedical engineering from Dr. D.Y. Patil University in India and a master’s in biomedical engineering from the University of Southern California.

As I child, I always knew I wanted to help people. When I was an undergraduate student in India, I gravitated toward the field of genetic engineering. As I worked toward this goal, I studied biomedical engineering, as that would give me an introduction to genetic engineering. While studying biomedical engineering, my interest in the medical equipment kept growing. As a result, I learned about the biological applications of all the pieces of medical equipment, as well as how technology has evolved and made a difference in the lives of patients.

During my final semester, I worked as a biomedical engineering intern at a hospital. It was the first time that I had hands–on training with the medical equipment, and I learned how to fix it—even during patient emergencies. I also observed the workflow among the various departments.

After college, I enrolled as a biomedical engineering graduate student at the University of Southern California. As I worked toward my degree, I contacted a few people who had given informative seminars at the university and began working on some of their projects. During a summer internship at a hospital, my passion for the healthcare field grew as I became more familiar with the policies and healthcare standards—including those of The Joint Commission—that help protect patient safety. I held a couple of other hospital internships and learned more about performance improvement tools.

Even though I had internships at various levels within healthcare organizations, it was hard to find a job after graduate school. Since I am an international student, there is a visa sponsorship process that involves U.S.-based company or hospital wanting to hire me.

After applying through various jobsites for months, I started contacting members of the field via LinkedIn. I came across a director of clinical engineering, who suggested that I attend AAMI 2014 in Philadelphia, PA.

I took his advice and attended the full conference. During the welcome reception, I was too shy to approach anyone; however, over the next two days of the conference, I overcame my initial shyness and introduced myself to many people. I also exchanged business cards with everyone I met. Someone passed my card on to the director of clinical engineering at Baystate Medical Center. He called me and set up a meeting on the third day at the AAMI exhibition hall. The interview went well, and I e-mailed everyone with whom I had exchanged cards during the conference. I received a tremendous number of replies and help from almost everyone I met. Finally, I was offered a job as a clinical engineering planner at Baystate Medical Center.

My success at landing a job was made possible only by the helpful people who have worked hard to keep events such as the AAMI Annual Conference & Expo alive. AAMI has created an environment in which successful professionals can meet and share their experiences. The professionals also serve as guides to the newcomers, increasing their confidence by interacting not as interviewers, but as mentors.

More universities should be made aware of events like these. “Changing lives” is what AAMI has done for many, and I am sure there are others who have had an experience similar to mine. Keep it up!