Summer Internship: UnityPoint Health - St. Luke's Hospital


By: Carly Beastrom (MHA ‘20)

Greetings from the City of Five Seasons and my hometown, Cedar Rapids!

This summer I’ve had the opportunity to serve as the Administrative Intern and experience the delivery of healthcare in Cedar Rapids through first-hand experience at St. Luke’s Hospital. St. Luke’s Hospital is part of the UnityPoint Health system which is a network of hospitals and clinics in Iowa, western Illinois and southern Wisconsin. St. Luke’s is a 532 licensed bed hospital and employs roughly 3,500 team members and is located within the MedQuarter Regional Medical District. Among other Iowa MHA alums, I have been fortunate to work with Justin McDonald (MHA ‘11) and Luke Hicks (MHA/MBA ‘09).

Thus far, my work has been a combination of observation and special projects. Joe Linn, VP of Operations, has been my direct preceptor and offers insights into the complexity of the healthcare industry. To supplement Joe’s knowledge, I attend weekly Vice President meetings where crucial decisions about the region are made and went to the Leadership Symposium in Des Moines. At this event, leaders from all nine regions participated in a design thinking workshop and listened to keynote speakers. I deeply appreciate these events and opportunities to discuss topics ranging from strategic development to legal affairs.

My project work is focused on the Community Health Needs Assessment and Improvement Plan with Lori Weih, VP Network & Business Relations. Lori and I are collaborating with multiple community organizations such as Linn County Public Health and the Eastern Iowa Health Center. In addition, I am assisting with a system-wide common job description project, revising standard operating procedures, and the administrator on call manual. These are all outstanding learning experience for me and representative of my focus for the next eight weeks.

Outside of work I enjoy biking to eastern Iowa breweries, running with the Thursday night Running Club, and golfing. When I’m not feeling active, I spend my free time watching Mad Men and volunteering at the Cedar Rapids Downtown Farmers Market. I’m looking forward to visiting my brother in Salt Lake City in August and reconnecting with my classmates this fall in Iowa City!

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