Paul Knocke (MHA '23): Bothwell Regional Health Center

Greetings from Sedalia, Missouri! This summer I have been lucky to serve as the administrative intern at Bothwell Regional Health Center (BRHC). BRHC is a 108-bed hospital located in Mid-Missouri, roughly an hour and a half from Kansas City, and one hour from the Lake of the Ozarks. Along with the main hospital campus BRHC has roughly 25 clinics located in Sedalia proper, and the surrounding communities. The hospital offers numerous service lines including a robust cancer center, orthopedics, and an emergency department that sees 25,000 visits a year.

Many of you have probably met my preceptor, Lori Wightman, somewhere along the way. Lori began her career as an infectious disease nurse, but that is by no means the breadth of her knowledge. Alongside her career in healthcare as a nurse and CEO, Lori has also held positions as a political campaign manager and general manager of a professional basketball team. I learned quickly that Lori leads with a high level of energy and passion, and that shows in the success she has had over her time as a hospital CEO in different markets.

The projects…where do I begin? Coming into the internship I was given six major projects that I would be involved in over my time here in Sedalia. These projects span over different departments such as nursing informatics, finance, and security. As many of you know, my “sentinel assignment” here at BRHC was to present to the board on why and how we should implement a K9 team to our security force. That project allowed me access to travel to CoxHealth in Springfield, MO, meet with local law enforcement officials, and speak individually with a tenured working dog trainer.

A day in the life of the administrative intern at BRHC varies wildly day-to-day, but I wanted to highlight a few of the more impactful experiences I have had. One of my goals during the internship was to expose myself to new things, and I got my wish granted. Lori had me shadow several different departments from EVS to orthopedic surgery. At the end of the day, I am grateful to have been able to learn from tenured individuals, view fourteen surgeries, and even get to be Involved in some hands-on care in the emergency department!

Outside of my time at the hospital I have been kept busy by my weekend excursions to different locations. Due to the location of Sedalia, I have spent numerous weekends in Kansas City visiting friends, or even better, getting picked up along the way as they travel to the Ozarks. I have also had the luxury of only being a few hours from home, so I have been able to visit my family a few times. During the weekends (and some weekdays) I have been lucky enough to be added as a golfer on the BRHC
team at varying tournaments around Sedalia. 

*A Note From The Editor*

If you would like to keep up with Paul, you can find him here on LinkedIn!