Summer Internship: Sutter Health

Hello from California!

I am spending my summer with Sutter Health as an intern in Strategy and Business Development at the System Office in Sacramento. Sutter is a large, non-profit healthcare system comprised of 22 hospitals, a multitude of outpatient clinics, 48,000 employees, and 5,000 physicians serving more than 100 towns and cities mostly in Northern California. The system is divided into five regions each serving diverse populations from large urban centers in the Bay Area to rural communities in the Central Valley. At the System Office, we work to build a unified vision and strategic direction for the organization while recognizing that each local hospital and clinic has its own unique circumstances. 

This summer, my work focuses on the impacts of emerging trends in the ambulatory setting such as the proliferation of retail clinics, urgent care centers, and virtual care providers. I help analyze the current market as well as the internal capacity of the organization in order to build recommendations to present to leadership. I am also involved in a project looking at affordability of healthcare services. Additionally, I have the opportunity to meet with leaders from all throughout the organization for informational interviews to gain perspective on the many different roles within Sutter Health. There are 11 other interns that are part of the Sutter Health program, each located at different affiliates throughout the system. As a group, we take a field trip to each region for site visits and get the chance to interact and network with our peers as well as with many individuals at different stages of their careers, from fellows to CEOs.

Sacramento offers numerous restaurants and parks as well as fun water activities on the American River. There are weekly farmer’s markets and several music and art festivals throughout the summer. Lake Tahoe and Napa Valley are close by and make for good weekend trips with fantastic scenery. While there are plenty of things to keep one busy in Sacramento, my real favorite thing to do when I’m not in the office is sit in the park under a palm tree and just enjoy the California sun.