Kennedy Wykle- UIHC, Inpatient Operations (MHA '25)

 This summer, I am completing my internship with University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC), specifically with the Office of the Chief Medical Officer (CMO)! The CMO team is led by UIHC’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Brennan. I have had the opportunity to work closely with various members of the team, including Greg Kirkman, who is my preceptor and the Service Line Executive for Adult Inpatient Operations, Jackie Buol, the Director of the Clinical Staff Office, and Sam Mitchell and Jaclyn Hall, both Quality and Ops Improvement Engineers. The CMO team does a lot of work related to inpatient units, medical directors and physician leadership, residents, and some quality improvement work.  

Throughout the summer, I have been able to work on various projects, participate in important meetings, partake in leadership rounding, attend workshops, and even have some clinical observations on the floor with physicians, nurses, PT, and OT.  

Each week, I split my time between the main hospital, to be with the CMO team, and HSSB, to be with the CSO team. While I am at the hospital, I often attend important meetings with my preceptor, set up shadowing opportunities, or partake in leadership rounding. One of the most interesting meetings I had the opportunity to attend was a Management Council meeting, which happens once a month. This is where a lot of hospital management gets together to share and listen to updates from the CEO and department directors. I have also really enjoyed tagging along for leadership rounding. Once a week, the CMO Ops team blocks out time in their schedules to round different units. This gives the leaders an opportunity to remain visible to employees, make personal connections, and show that we support them. They also use this as an opportunity for employees to share feedback on any issues and recognize a person or team that has gone above and beyond.  

Something I was not expecting during my internship was to be fully integrated into a team other than the CMO team. When at HSSB, I'm another member on the CSO team. My main project this summer is being on the CSO team. UIHC has over 20,000 employees, and this small team manages all clinical staff. They handle the privileging, credentialing, and billing of providers. The CSO team has been operating with the same process for decades, not even keeping up with technology, which is where I come in. We are getting ready for the full implementation of an automated credentialing system that is going to change the way that they work. I am learning the new system alongside them and am finding the best way to optimize communication between the CSO team and the departments in the hospital. With this, we have had to create a set structure and workflow for the team to set them up for success with their future objectives.  

Additionally, I have had several smaller projects throughout the summer. I have been able to create yearly accountability reports for all UIHC’s Medical Directors, prepare Medical Director contracts for the new cycle, reevaluate training modules, run verification reports, and create example privileging checklists for department heads.  

Overall, I am thankful for all the opportunities that Greg, along with the rest of the CMO and CSO teams, has given me this summer. They have given me a well-rounded experience. I can’t imagine my experience being anywhere else! 

My internship kept me busy, but I still have plenty of time outside the hospital. I spend as much time as I can with my little bernedoodle, Sookie. We have been finding new walks and hikes in Iowa and Illinois, which is where I am from, and trying out new dog friendly restaurants with friends and family! If I am not working, Sookie and I are always on the move!