Kaitlyn Fuerst- Intermountain Health (MHA '25)

 

Hello from beautiful Logan, Utah! 

 

I had an exceptional summer completing my internship at Logan Regional Hospital, a 148-bed hospital part of the Intermountain Health System. Intermountain is a nonprofit health system with 33 hospitals and 1 virtual hospital in Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, Montana, and Kansas. Logan Regional Hospital (LRH) is a community hospital and trauma III medical center. It is also consistently recognized as one of the top 100 hospitals in the U.S.! Logan, Utah, has a population of about 40,000 and is located in northern Utah, about 80 miles north of Salt Lake City. Brandon McBride is the CEO/President of LRH and has been my preceptor throughout the summer. He is a Utah native but ventured to the Midwest to earn his MHA degree from the University of Minnesota!

 

Throughout the summer, I was involved in a wide array of projects, which provided me with invaluable experience and a proficient understanding of hospital operations. I took on multiple projects throughout my 11 weeks at LRH, including creating a process for standardized follow-up procedures in LRH’s outpatient clinics, engaging in implementing Hospital-Level Care at Home (HLC@H), overseeing the 2025 capital planning process, and assisting with some smaller projects for our telecommunications department. In addition, LRH is in the process of building and opening a new inpatient tower! The new tower will open for patient care in September 2024, which has also allowed me to be involved in some of the new processes that had to be created to ensure patient flow is smooth and efficient on the first day the tower is open for patients. I oversaw how to create new staffing matrices, and staff were trained and educated for the transition by attending our “Day in the Life” patient simulation training! This wide variety of projects from different departments has allowed me to gain incredible knowledge and experience in hospital operations. It has made me confident in my abilities to be a successful healthcare leader. 

Outside of project work, I also had the opportunity to shadow our clinical departments and observe how care is being provided to patients. My shadowing experience ranged from the wound clinic to the emergency department, central sterilization, different oncology departments, and I even observed three different surgeries in the operating room! Our clinical staff’s dedication was inspiring, as was seeing the knowledge they bring to LRH and how much they care to provide the highest-quality care to our patients. My favorite shadowing experience this summer was the opportunity to ride in Intermountain Life Flight. Flying over the mountains and seeing how care is provided during the transfer was inspiring to know that patients still receive the best care while being flown to a hospital! 

Aside from work, I fully immersed myself in the beautiful Utah landscape. During most weekends and even some evenings after work, you could find me hiking the beautiful canyons Logan offers. I hiked over 75 miles in 13 weeks! I also went kayaking, swimming, horseback riding, and enjoyed the Cache Valley Farmer’s Market every Saturday morning! I could not have asked for a better place to spend my summer, as I would wake up with mountains in my backyard every morning. 

Reflecting on my internship experience, I could not have imagined what I would gain out of this summer. I truly believe that the beauty of this town is so healing and good for the soul. As for my experience with Intermountain Health, I have left eager to continue learning and excited to see my future in healthcare administration. So long from Logan, Utah, I hope all of you will have the chance to explore this hidden gem one day! See you back in Iowa City!