Hallie Vonk (MHA '24): WinnMed

Greetings from the hidden gem of Decorah, Iowa!

This summer I have the privilege of serving as the Administrative Intern at WinnMed.  WinnMed is a 25-bed critical access hospital in Northeast, Iowa, and serves as the regional hub for healthcare services. WinnMed is the largest and most specialized hospital in the region with an active medical staff of over 35 Mayo Clinic Health System and Gundersen Health System physicians. In 2005, WinnMed signed a management and professional service agreement with Mayo Clinic, making WinnMed an affiliate hospital within the Mayo Clinic Health System. The primary service area population is estimated at over 56,000 people, with a broader population base for surgical specialties and for Mayo Clinic medical outreach services.

WinnMed’s Administrative Internship is project-based and provides full access to work with and learn from executive leadership. My preceptor, Steve Slessor, is the Chief Administrative Officer and an alum of Iowa’s MHA program. When deciding which internships to apply for, I prioritized programs that would allow me to have true hands-on experiences and a preceptor who would be invested in my professional development. WinnMed’s internship has far exceeded my expectations!

Immediately upon starting, I was involved in executive leadership meetings, committee meetings throughout the organization, a $45 million renovation and expansion project, and organization-wide projects that I led and implemented. One of the benefits of interning at a critical access hospital is the opportunity to truly make an impact with the projects you work on. I was able to successfully pitch the DAISY Awards to the Administrative Council and worked closely with the CNO to implement the program, collaborate with directors across the organization to develop a systemwide clinical and non-clinical incentive program affecting 400+ staff, apply for a grant through the State of Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, develop the annual Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement report, create a five-year proforma for a da Vinci surgical system, and many smaller projects. My internship culminated with a final presentation to the Board of Trustees where I discussed WinnMed’s strategic initiatives to address recruitment and retention challenges. I was challenged every day and cannot speak highly enough about this experience. 

Outside of projects, I had the opportunity to observe multiple surgeries, ride along in the ambulance during emergency calls, and shadow in the emergency room. I also participated in the Iowa Hospital Association Tee-Off Golf Classic with Iowa hospital CEOs and the Decorah Chamber of Commerce Golf Outing.  Finally, in true rural Iowa fashion, I sold pork chops on a stick at the county fair! Connecting with the Decorah community was truly one of my favorite parts of the internship.

Outside of work, I have spent a lot of time with my family at the lake, celebrated a friend’s wedding, played entirely too much pickleball, had a bachelorette party for a childhood best friend, enjoyed long summer runs, and (most importantly) took my pup on lots of hikes. Summer 2023 will always be one to remember, and I cannot be more grateful for my internship experience. Thanks for following along! 😊

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 the develop
Read more

Kayla Rinderknecht (MPH’24): Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield

Image
Hello from Des Moines, Iowa! This summer, I completed a 12-week internship with Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS). Wellmark Inc. is a mutual health insurance company, with policyholders throughout Iowa and South Dakota. As a market leader, Wellmark’s mission is to make healthcare better and improve the health of the communities that they serve. Throughout the summer, I experienced Wellmark’s positive culture and contributed to its mission.     My Community Health Research Internship was housed under Wellmark’s Division of Health Equity, Access, and Improvement. The division’s strategy is to improve the health of all Iowans and South Dakotans, not just Wellmark’s policyholders. To improve the health of all Iowans and South Dakotans, the division focused on improving community health, addressing health equity, and improving rural health. My project focused on improving community health, in which I analyzed community data for Iowa and South Dakota, conducted evidence-based research,
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