Summer Internship: UW Health Madison


 
By: Ben Meyer (MHA ‘20)

Greetings from Badgerland.  For over a month now I have been working with UW Health in Madison, Wisconsin.  UW Health is an integrated health system serving more than 600,000 patients per year with approximately 1,500 physicians and 16,500 staff at six hospitals and more than 80 outpatient sites.  In addition to remarkable care, UW Health also provides health insurance plans to over 270,000 members via the co-owned organization named Quartz.

Over the last few weeks I have been rotated through several service areas.  The goal of the internship is to understand major organizational initiatives, how all service areas must work together to provide remarkable care, participate in all levels of communication, and to lead at least one organization-wide initiative.  UW Health is experiencing many changes as it adopts the Toyota Makati integrated model from Virginia Mason Medical Center located in Seattle, Washington.  To better understand the overarching initiative named the “UW Health Way,” I have rotated through areas like Environmental services, Quality and Safety Improvement, Health Services, Employee Well-Being, Med-Flight, and Facilities/Engineering to name a few.

A growing knowledge and relationship with service areas I have been exposed to has given shape to my main project.  In response to concerns regarding staff morale and the staff perception of the culture of safety, UW Health leadership has vowed to rapidly improve the way in which all employees communicate.  Leading the way is my project.  A new staff engagement survey tool called Waggl is being developed and implemented within the next few months.  As project lead I have been coordinating and working with various stakeholders regarding IT integration procedures, communications strategies, pilot groups, and action planning strategies.

I look forward to continuing to explore Madison and all the outdoor activities it has to offer.  From kayaking on the many lakes, to concerts, to the annual naked bike ride through downtown.  Stay tuned for more!

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