Summer Internship: Brigham and Women's Hospital

By: Rob McDonagh (MHA '18)
Hello from Boston!
I’m in the sixth week of my internship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a 793-bed affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Its association with Harvard has consistently made it one of the highest-ranked hospitals in the country, and the U.S. News and World Report in 2016 ranked it the 13th best hospital in America. The Brigham is always searching to improve healthcare in Boston. It is associated with the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and founded Partners Healthcare, the largest healthcare provider in Massachusetts, in partnership with Massachusetts General Hospital.
It’s been a wicked busy summer so far! I’ve been working in Physician Assistant (PA) Services on numerous projects, and I have been learning just how important PAs and other Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) really are in this time of physician shortages. My preceptor is one of the most ambitious people I’ve ever met, yet she is so supportive and open to granting me independence while I work on my projects.
I work out of three different locations in Boston for my projects, which gives me the ability to meet a wide variety of people working in healthcare. First, I’ve worked on standardizing the credentialing and privileging process so that by the end of my internship, each department will have the same form and process for PAs. Next, I’ve started to create an Interdisciplinary Practice Committee, which will involve the directors of PAs, nurse practitioners, other APPs, chief physicians, and the CEO. Finally, while I can’t go into details at this time, I’ve also been tasked with an innovative project related to PAs that will be the first of its kind in the country.
Outside of work, Boston is easily one of the coolest cities in the country, and everyone should explore it! Fenway Park is exactly a mile away from the hospital, and while I’ve only been to one Red Sox game so far, I’m planning to see a few more games in July. Boston is also filled with historic sites - my personal favorites are probably the JFK Presidential Library and the U.S.S. Constitution.
This is one of the best summers of my life thanks to the Brigham and the general Boston area. Still, I can’t wait to return to Iowa to see all my fellow MHA students again!

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