Summer Internships: University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Department of Ophthalmology

By Alisa Strohbehn

Greetings from Iowa City!

My summer internship stems from my Graduate Administrative Assistant position in the Department of Ophthalmology here at the University of Iowa. I am working with the Administrator, Larry McGranahan, and the Administrative Assistant, Pat Smith. Larry is a graduate of the Master of Health Administration program at the University of Iowa and is a great mentor. Pat Smith graduated from Luther and has been working in the department for over thirty years, and she has taught me so many things about HR. My job and internship has allowed me to work with all members of the administration team, including the DEO, Marketing Director, Grants Administrator, Nurse Manager, and Senior Accountant. This job and internship has been a wonderful experience with a variety of projects.

One of my big projects for the year was credentialing the incoming Fellow Associates. This included daily correspondence with the new fellows as well as the credentialing and billing offices here at the university.  Another project that I am spearheading is the renovation of the exam rooms. The exam rooms in the department have not been updated in over a decade. This has given me the opportunity to facilitate meetings with Capital Management, Engineering Services, outside office vendors, and faculty and staff. The painting of the exam rooms is underway, the floor design and material has been chosen, and later this week the final decision will be made on the chair fabric.
Other projects include:

  • Updating the financial spreadsheet for faculty (charges/payments, RVUs, visits, etc).
  • Writing an article for UI Wellness about healthy vision.
  • Creating a monthly spreadsheet for the DEO depicting the faculty practice plan.
  • Posting new job openings and evaluating candidates according to UIHC policies and HR approval.

The Department of Ophthalmology is ranked #6 in the World News Report. There are over 40 primary faculty members and 10 secondary faculty members. In addition, over 200 employees support the team. I really enjoy working with this dedicated department!

My summer has been amazing and flown by so quickly.  I have been able to visit my family and friends, go on bike rides, work out, see many new movies, visit Okoboji several times, and, of course, go on daily late night walks with my one and only dog, Axel. I am really looking forward to all of my classmates arriving back in Iowa City in less than one month! 

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