Summer Internship: TriStar StoneCrest Medical Center

By: Tyler Bennett

Hello from Nashville, Tennessee. This summer, I am interning with Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) in the TriStar Division at TriStar StoneCrest Medical Center. StoneCrest has 109 beds and is located just 25 minutes from the heart of Nashville in Rutherford County. The area is experiencing a population explosion due to close proximity to both Nashville and Murfreesboro, which is the 13^th fastest growing city in the country. To keep up with demand, StoneCrest is actively growing with the community and has several expansion projects currently underway.

A major focus of mine this summer has been centered on spending as much time as I can in different departments, and understanding how they operate independently, as well as how they interact with other departments. I have had the privilege of spending time in environmental services, patient access, materials management, plant operations, surgery, imaging, and pharmacy, just to name a few. This has provided me with a solid foundation of each department’s responsibilities to ensure we are delivering high quality healthcare to the communities we serve.

I have also worked on several projects throughout the summer. I have been conducting a market share analysis focusing on inpatient services, along with the emergency department, to find opportunities to grow and expand our services to meet the needs of the surrounding communities. I have also worked to update our Administrator on Call binder, conducted an internal catering request cost analysis, and assisted in developing service contracts. Our admin team has been great in inviting me to senior level meetings throughout our facility, and since we are located close to the division and corporate headquarters, I have been able to attend several meetings at both locations. These have included attending the TriStar Leadership Development Institute, which brought leaders from across the division together to discuss strategies, opportunities and best practices from across the entire division and provided me a great opportunity to network with leaders from all of our hospitals.

Nashville has also provided several opportunities to get out and have some fun. I spent my first weekend experiencing all CMA Fest had to offer. I was able to watch some of my favorite artists perform, such as Thomas Rhett, Brett Eldridge, and Chris Stapleton. Other activities have included playing in an ACHE-Middle Tennessee chapter golf event, going to the Nashville Zoo, attending Nashville Sounds’ baseball games, and trying to find the best hot chicken Nashville has to offer.

This summer has been a great experience and is flying by. I’m looking forward to a small vacation at the end of summer, returning to Iowa City to begin my second year, and welcoming in a new cohort of first year students to complete my summer.