Kailey Thomas - Intermountain Health at St. George Regional Hospital (MHA '27)

 Greetings from sunny Utah!

It's hard to believe, but I'm already halfway through my 12-week administrative internship with Intermountain Health at St. George Regional Hospital. Intermountain Health is a large integrated health system that supports care across six states in the Mountain West. St. George Regional Hospital is a 284-bed Level II Trauma Center in southwest Utah, recognized for the exceptional care it provides to its patients and community.

My preceptor is the Chief Operating Officer, Mark Evans, but I have truly felt supported by the entire executive team throughout my experience. I also have the opportunity to learn alongside my co-intern, Nicole Green (pictured to the left), who is completing her Master of Health Administration at the University of Washington. It has been wonderful to learn alongside a fellow MHA student. In June, Nicole and I traveled to Salt Lake City to tour several Intermountain hospitals as part of my wayfinding project. We will return in July to visit additional enterprise shared services teams and Intermountain Medical Center, the system’s flagship hospital.

As a large, vertically integrated health system, Intermountain Health has provided opportunities to learn at many levels of the organization. I’ve had the privilege of spending time with frontline caregivers, hospital executive leadership, and regional leaders, gaining valuable insight into how each contributes to delivering high-quality care. One theme that has consistently stood out throughout my experience is Intermountain’s commitment to servant leadership and to putting patients and caregivers at the center of every decision. A great example of this is the organization’s continued investment in expanding proactive, preventive care.

My primary internship project focuses on improving wayfinding at St. George Regional Hospital. This is a complex, multifaceted initiative aimed at enhancing both the patient and caregiver experience across a large hospital campus. So far, the project has involved collaborating with leaders across the enterprise to develop redesign recommendations that address the unique needs of St. George Regional Hospital while remaining aligned with system-wide standards.

One of the highlights of my internship was the opportunity to spend time with Jamison Robinett, President of Cedar City Hospital and an Iowa MHA alumnus. He graciously invited us to Cedar City Hospital when the Joint Commission arrived for its accreditation survey, providing an incredible learning experience. Nicole and I were able to shadow the survey from start to finish, with dedicated opportunities to learn from surveyors across both the clinical and life safety components. Those few days were incredibly valuable and have been among the most impactful experiences of my internship so far.

Outside of work, I’ve been making the most of my time in southern Utah. On weekends, I get up early to beat the heat and explore the incredible hiking opportunities nearby. So far this summer, I’ve visited all five of Utah’s national parks! I’m especially grateful that Zion National Park is only about an hour from St. George, allowing me to spend many weekends exploring. I also joined a local weekly pickleball league, which has been a fun way to meet people and stay active on Wednesday evenings.

Overall, my internship at St. George Regional Hospital has been an incredible experience. I’m grateful for the mentorship, meaningful projects, and opportunities to learn from leaders across Intermountain Health. I’m excited to see what the second half of summer has in store!

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