Summer Internship: Sanford Health - Health Network

By: Tyler Ust (MHA '20)

I just finished week five of my administrative internship in Fargo, North Dakota for Sanford Health. Sanford Health is the largest rural healthcare provider in the United States and is classified as an integrated healthcare delivery system. Headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the organization has 44 hospitals, 482 clinics, 1,400 physicians, 50,000 employees and more than 200 Good Samaritan Society senior care locations in 26 states and nine countries. Sanford Health is focused on strategic growth and these numbers are growing everyday.

Just when I thought I had a comfortable grasp and good foundational knowledge built from working in healthcare and my first year in the MHA program, I came to the realization that the learning never stops. The benefit of being within a large healthcare system is that I’ve had resources at my disposal for the wide array of tasks and projects I have been exposed to. My work has been variable, fast-paced, but extremely rewarding for myself and the organization. Within Sanford Health, I am apart of the administrative team that operates the Health Network, which is all of the owned, managed, or affiliate hospitals and clinics that are in the upper Midwest.

This position has given me the best of both worlds, where I have been able to participate in the daily operations carried out in hospitals and clinics, as well as learn from the long-term strategic initiatives pursued by executives. If I am not bouncing from meetings, sitting-in on phone calls, networking with leaders, or shadowing different service lines, I am working on fulfilling projects. One of my projects has been to create a new mental health service line for substance use disorder. Another project I have been tasked with is finalizing a master facility plan for my hometown hospital to complete a multi-million-dollar renovation. These projects have heightened my community involvement, organization and communication skills, and financial and resource management.

Being back in my home state, I have capitalized on time away from work. I have been maximizing time with family, friends, and social events. I have had fun keeping busy with playing/watching sports, farming, movies, and concerts. My internship experience has already exceeded my expectations and I look forward to continuing to grow. I’m excited to start my last year of graduate school, catch up with my classmates, and meet the incoming first-year students.

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