While we may not be on campus, the OITE is committed to continuing activities on your behalf in the virtual space. We now have a dedicated webpage to help keep you informed - https://ors.od.nih.gov/sr/dohs/safety/NIH-covid-19-safety-plan/Pages/default.aspx All of our online offerings will be posted here; be sure to watch for group sessions on wellness, resilience, and mindfulness meditation plus career and professional development opportunities. We have tried to schedule events at times that are conducive for trainees on any campus to easily participate.
We are still open for business and look forward to seeing you in our virtual workshops or during our one-one-one career counseling appointments. Appointments can easily be made online and counselors can connect with you via phone or video chat at your preference.
We'll be sharing additional guidance and resources in the coming weeks, but for now here are some ideas and tips to help you manage this moment in time:
- It is important to prioritize your health and well-being. Please take a moment to read last week’s blog post on Caring for Your Mental Health During a Pandemic and to review all of the wellness offerings still available through OITE. You can easily see these at our Upcoming Events page.
- Stay connected with your family, friends, and labmates during this time by texting, calling, FaceTiming, videochats, etc. Many groups are now doing virtual coffee dates or happy hours (see the article on the rise of virtual events).
- Reduced social activities, no commuting time, etc. means more time trainees can spend on researching potential employers and career paths, networking, polishing up their resumes and LinkedIn profiles, etc. We are here to help and we have videos on many of these topics here and here.
- Make sure your LinkedIn is updated! Recruiters, alumni from your programs, and other employees will most likely not be in the office, with more availability over the next few weeks. Take this time to make meaningful connections over LinkedIn, as more people will be on their computer looking for social interactions. Suggest a "virtual coffee" and set up a call, Facetime or Zoom meeting to catch up with your existing connections or conduct an informational interview.
