Kelly Thomas (MHA '24): Cleveland Clinic
This summer, I have had the amazing opportunity of interning at the Cleveland Clinic in the Orthopaedic and Rheumatologic Institute as a Graduate Administrative Intern. I have the privilege of working directly under Program Manager, Evan Stanley and my project sponsor, Mike Miller- Institute Finance Director, as well as the countless others throughout the organization that have offered support and guidance throughout my experience. I have learned something new every day (more like a dozen), and the ongoing support and challenge from my preceptors has made this experience nothing short of amazing. From day one, the entire institute has kindly welcomed and incorporated me into many initiatives around access, clinical operations, and growth strategy. As an enterprise, Cleveland Clinic invests in their interns whole-heartedly which has allowed me to see so many different facets of this leading organization.
Cleveland Clinic's internship is a 10-week cohort model and project-based program, providing interns with didactic learning sessions, a variety of projects, and endless networking opportunities throughout the entire system. I have had the opportunity to connect with physician leaders, front-line staff, as well as executives both working in our US hospitals as well as our London site! Each caregiver I meet offers a different perspective and teaches me something new and exciting about this organization and industry. In addition to connecting with leaders, my internship cohort and I have had a great time getting to know each other and exploring more of Cleveland. There are 19 Cleveland Clinic interns in Ohio this summer which keeps the weekends pretty busy. We've gotten to spend lots of time on the lakefront, went to an outdoor concert, hiked a few of the parks, and so much more! Learning with and from my fellow interns has made this experience all the more worthwhile.
No day in my internship is the same, making each work week and this summer fly by! My major projects have been developing a new electronic onboarding process for our APP's and physicians, involving accreditation, human resources, and operations. As well as managing our new sports medicine contracts, working on off-site clinical scheduling operations, and analyzing utilization performance for institute growth. Cleveland Clinic is in the process of opening a new community hospital this summer, which will include a strong orthopaedic presence from our department, and I have had the opportunity of participating in open houses, walk throughs, as well as planning sessions for this endeavor. Being able to see everything that has gone into this opening this close to the finish line has been amazing and something I am honored to be a part of. Throughout the summer I have also shadowed multiple physicians, attended the skills lab where our medical students work on cadavers and develop their skills, as well as scrubbed in on a tumor removal!
This summer has felt like a crash course in clinical operations that has been both challenging and rewarding every day, allowing me to learn and grow so much as a professional while contributing to such a great team. My time at Cleveland Clinic has shown me what leading with empathy and a commitment to innovation and patient excellence looks like in practice. Overall, this summer has been an amazing experience and I have loved every minute of working with my team and fellow interns and exploring a new city. Looking forward to getting back to Iowa City and finishing off my last year as a Hawkeye!
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