Summer Internship: Washington County Hospital and Clinics (WCHC)


By: Matthew Carson (MHA '21)

Greetings from Washington County Hospital and Clinics (WCHC). My name is Matthew Carson and while the COVID pandemic canceled my initial internship opportunity in Japan, I am still incredibly grateful for the experience and opportunity that I have been offered. Thanks to contacts made through our wonderful alumni network, I was able to connect to the team here in Washington and become one of two interns for the summer. I have been most appreciative of my co-intern and friend Alex Burhop for carpooling daily.

 

We just passed the halfway point for our internships and are currently starting our seventh week. Washington County Hospital and Clinics is located in Washington, Iowa and consists of a 25-bed critical access hospital, an attached 43-bed nursing home called McCreedy Home, and various clinics. WCHC has a stellar reputation for excellent patient care and innovative leadership.

I report to Bridget Hill, COO, and have multiple projects and tasks focusing on a wide variety of areas including quality, operations, long-term care, strategic development, and infection prevention.  These projects stem from pre-COVID issues, topics related to COVID, and other timely challenges. In addition to reporting to the COO, I took on separate assignments from the Director of IT, Director of Quality, CNO, and CEO. Some of the key projects have been the creation of new policies to support changes needed to be made for the organization to address COVID, developing a pro forma for a potential clinic, researching telehealth opportunities, exploring potential credentialing process improvements, creating an organizational dashboard for all staff and providers to view, and I am just beginning to assist the long-term care administrator. In addition to the projects, I have taken advantage of multiple shadowing opportunities ranging from the emergency department to long-term care facilities around town, as well as other hospitals in the surrounding Iowa area.

 

The process of continually learning can sometimes feel overwhelming, but there is so much that I have taken away from everyone here. As the second half of the internship continues, I look forward to gaining further insight to the world of healthcare from multiple perspectives that support each other to work towards a common goal. 

 

Outside of work I have spent time exploring the state parks in the surrounding area as well as biking and running around Iowa City. I am looking forward to the rest of the internship, returning to classes, and seeing everyone in the fall.

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