Kari Holte (MHA '24): University of Utah Health Hospitals and Clinics

Hello from Salt Lake City! 

This summer, I was fortunate to complete an administrative internship with the System Planning Department at the University of Utah Health Hospitals and Clinics. The University of Utah Health system includes 5 hospitals and 11 clinics and serves patients throughout Utah and its surrounding states. I worked at the main hospital, which is a Level 1 Trauma Center located in the mountains just outside of downtown Salt Lake City (the mountain views from the hospital were unbelievable!). U of U Health ranks highly for quality among academic medical centers in the U.S., making the internship a great opportunity to learn from a forerunner in care quality.

 

System Planning houses the Operational Project Management Office (OPMO), Strategic Integration, and Space Planning teams, and I had the opportunity to work with all three teams. My preceptor was Ischa Jensen, Associate Executive Director of System Planning. I learned so much from Ischa about strategic planning, being an empathetic and open-minded leader, and navigating crucial conversations. I also got to work closely on projects with Cassandra Taft, Strategic Integration Manager, Mike Wilcox, Director of Space Planning, and Mikayla Schaefer, Director of the OPMO, all of whom were amazing leaders and so welcoming. 

 

I had the opportunity to work on three main projects and support a few smaller projects. My main projects included evaluating provider call rooms throughout the system and providing process improvement recommendations based on industry practices, leading a project to plan for the cultural transition of teams into new spaces, and creating the system’s first Operational Plan Annual Report to highlight the system’s progress on the FY23 strategic tactics.

Beyond project work, I attended many meetings including weekly meetings with the 8 other interns and Master Planning meetings with executive leadership. I was lucky to gain exposure to organizational leaders by presenting at Ops Council and conducting informational interviews. I also shadowed in the OR, volunteered at a community event, and visited our Population Health Center and Rehab Hospital. 

Outside of the internship, I had a blast hiking most weekends, boating, paddle boarding, enjoying music events in the city, skiing in 80 degrees, and fully embracing the Western culture at a rodeo. Utah is an outdoor-lover’s playground and the adventures this summer were plentiful.

 

As I reflect on my internship experience, I am incredibly thankful for the opportunity to work with leaders that graciously invested their time and energy into me and my fellow interns. The mentorship I received this summer aided in my professional growth and reminded me that I want to intentionally invest in young careerists throughout my career as well. My internship experience was far more impactful than I could have expected, and though I am looking forward to catching up with classmates in Iowa City, I will miss my teammates at the U of U Health. I am so grateful for a fulfilling internship experience in a beautiful location with even better people. Thanks for following along!