Summer Internship: University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics


By: Zach Ahrens (MHA '19)

 Greetings from Iowa City!
This summer I had the opportunity to intern at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC). This 5.5+ million square foot facility is home to 811 hospital beds, and annually admits more than 36,000 patients and receives more than 60,000 emergency room visits. UIHC employs roughly 1,648 physicians, dentists, residents, and fellows, in addition to over 9,900 non-physician staff members, 2,300 nurses and 1,400 volunteers. All working together to provide world class health care to the residents of Iowa.
During my internship, I had the distinct pleasure of having Dr. Theresa Brennan, the Chief Medical Office (CMO) of UIHC, as my preceptor. I have been able to work closely with Dr. Brennan on data-driven projects that focus on a wide variety of populations such as palliative care patients and the physicians that work for UIHC. Additionally, since Dr. Brennan is a board-certified Interventional Cardiologist, I have shadowed her in the Heart and Vascular clinic as well as the CVICU.
My biggest project has been working to get approval for a policy that would require all physicians to become board-certified in their specialty. The goal of this project is to present data to the Hospital Advisory Committee (HAC) by the end of the summer to get approval for the policy. This policy is important because it will ensure physicians commit to lifelong learning and competency in their specialty. 
Other projects I have participated in include contract review and determination of continuation/cancelation of credentialing contracts, creation of a new Palliative Care Institute, the collection and organization of Joint Commission and UIHC specific data for a hospital-wide risk assessment and attending all department faculty/staff meetings to collect feedback regarding physician engagement and patient safety. In addition to all my projects, I also had the opportunity to round with multiple departments throughout the hospital including engineering services, supply chain, main operating room, the emergency department, and many more. 
Outside of my internship, I spent time backpacking in Europe, traveling to different cities in the United States to visit friends and family, and attending the many different “block party” events in downtown Iowa City. I am excited to see everyone in a few weeks, to meet all the first-year students starting the program this fall and welcome any questions regarding the UIHC experience.

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