Summer Internship: Children's Hospital and Medical Center

By: Emma McIntire (MHA '20)

Greetings from Omaha!

This summer I am working as a graduate administrative intern at Children’s Hospital and Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska. Children’s is the only full-service, pediatric healthcare center in the state of Nebraska and serves approximately 150,000 patients annually.  The hospital is currently home to 145 licensed beds, but is expected to grow quickly with the addition of the Hubbard Center for Children, a new nine-floor tower with over 100 new beds set to open in 2021.

I work under the direction of Shaun Custard, Director of the Heart Center, and focus primarily on operations within the cardiac service line. I am currently working on a variety of engaging projects, including streamlining outreach clinic workflows for sites throughout Nebraska and surrounding states, analyzing OR start times to increase efficiency, and working with the Virtual Care Systems Coordinator to identify where the need and opportunities for telehealth growth lies and how this incorporation of technology benefits our patients and doctors.

Additionally, I am fortunate to interact with administrators and clinicians alike. My first few weeks were rotation-based and spent learning about different parts of the hospital through one-on-one meetings with leadership team members throughout the organization. I am grateful for each of the leaders who so generously and willingly spent time engaging in discussion to enhance this experience. I have also had the incredible opportunity to shadow on different units and observe three open heart surgeries in the OR so far. These valuable experiences allow me to see the clinical side firsthand and learn from key members of the patient care team. It has given me a new perspective and respect for those who directly serve our most vulnerable patients.

Outside of work, I have taken full advantage of all that Omaha has to offer. Whether strolling through the Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings, cheering for the underdogs at College World Series games, or playing board games on brewery patios in the Old Market, there is no shortage of things to do in this city. In the coming weeks I look forward to relaxing on the beaches of California and taking a quick road-trip to Oklahoma City.

I am incredibly grateful for this internship experience and am excited to see what the rest of the summer brings. I also look forward to reuniting with my classmates and meeting the new first year cohort in the fall!