Summer Internship: Mercy Health Systems - Des Moines

By Catherine Gehlsen

This summer, I had the opportunity to serve as the administrative intern at Mercy Health Network in Des Moines, Iowa. Mercy Health Network was founded in 1998 under a joint operating agreement between two of the largest Catholic, not-for-profit healthcare systems in the United States: Catholic Health Initiatives and Trinity Health. Mercy Health Network houses five major medical centers throughout the Iowa and 41 rural network affiliates making it one of the largest healthcare systems in the state.


During my summer, I worked under the supervision of Mike Trachta, VP of Critical Access Hospital Operations for our rural affiliates. I learned a great deal about rural health and the current status of rural health throughout these affiliates. I also had the opportunity to attend numerous board meetings to learn about these hospitals and how they are run. I also learned a great deal about how a corporate office of a healthcare system operates while working with Mike. It was fascinating, and I left every day with a new piece of knowledge that carried me through my summer. Mike taught me so much, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to have worked with him.



As well as working alongside Mike, I had the opportunity to work with numerous other senior leaders that are part of our team. Some of my memorable projects with them include: working on capital budget projects for the radiology and surgery departments at our affiliates, writing a large request for proposal (RFP) for a potential business acquisition, developing a standardized statewide internship/fellowship application, working with our Director of Physician Alignment on our Physician Leadership Academy, and writing a 340B plan with our Director of Advocacy to present in Washington DC. The experiences I had this summer were wonderful, and I am happy to say that I will be returning next summer as the Fellow for Mercy Health Network.

I learned so much during my time this summer at Mercy Health Network. The culture of Mercy truly aligns with my values, and that is how I knew I was the perfect fit as an intern. Serving others so we can change their lives is a privilege, and that is definitely how I knew I wanted to stay a part of this organization. I am so grateful to have had the opportunities that I did this summer, and I cannot wait to go back next summer and work with the awesome team.   






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Adriana Kotchkoski (MHA '24): Nihon Keiei Consulting Group

Image
Konnichiwa from Japan!   As I sit down to write this blog post, I am filled with a sense of gratitude and accomplishment as I reflect on my time as an intern at Nihon Keiei Consulting Group in Osaka, Japan. This summer has been nothing short of remarkable, offering me a unique blend of professional development and cultural immersion that I will cherish forever.   During my time at Nihon Keiei, I had the opportunity to engage in in-depth research and analysis, creating comprehensive market profiles for the healthcare sectors in the Philippines and India. These profiles laid the foundation for strategic expansion plans, and it was an honor to present my findings and recommendations to a senior consultant during insightful one-on-one meetings. These interactions were not only professionally enriching but also allowed me to witness firsthand how strategic decisions shape the course of an organization's growth.   One of the most rewarding experiences during my internship was t...
Read more

Devante Davis (MHA '24): UCHealth - Southern Region

Image
Hello my name is Devante Davis I am going into my 2 nd year as an MHA student at the University of Iowa!    I am currently interning at UCHEALTH southern region in Colorado Springs, and UCHEALTH mission statement is to Improve lives through providing quality care. My preceptor is Andrew Ritchie the Chief Operation Officer of the UCHEALTH southern region. He great a developing talent while unlocking hiding potential within his interns, and fellow! My favorite project was evaluating what the rest of the world is doing to recover from this global nursing shortage. Summarizing the data and be a part of creating a valuable plan to implement into the UCHEALTH southern region. A few other fun events I attended were the pikes peak annual racing event, viper’s baseball game, the incline!  
Read more

Naudya Chhuon, UIHC Accounting and Financial Services (MHA '25)

Image
This summer, I had the opportunity to be a part of the Finance and Accounting Services team (FAS) at the University of Iowa. My internship allowed me to better understand what it is like to work in finance and accounting, especially within the healthcare industry. From managing a vaccination clinic project to tackling financial models, I got to contribute to some and be a part of some fun projects. One of the highlights of my internship was being the go-to person for all things related to the HPV vaccination clinic with the Population Health team. This project provides Shoes for patients under 13 years old who obtain their 2 nd  dose of the HPV vaccine. I found myself at the center of communication between four different teams, which meant I got to lead meetings, and make sure we were all on the same page. Our big event is coming up in the second week of August, and I am proud of how smoothly everything has been running so far.  Another big part of my summer was getting my han...
Read more