What organization did you intern with? What was your role?
I interned with the Cleveland Clinic as a graduate administrative intern.
Where was your internship located?
Cleveland, Ohio.
What is your career goal?
I’m still trying to figure this out, but something in the realm of health care consulting, hospital administration, or enterprise strategy within health care companies.
What was your internship funding source?
Paid internship.
What were your duties/responsibilities during your internship?
I focused on conducting market research on various primary care disruptors to support the Cleveland Clinic's family health center expansion strategy in the Northeast Ohio region. Additionally, I created centralized dashboards for several initiatives aimed at reducing the in-basket burden on physicians. The goal is to alleviate physician burnout, enhance appointment availability, and increase revenue capture.
What did you take away from your experience as an intern? What was the value of the internship to you?
You may be surprised by what kind of exposure and connections you can gain simply by asking! For me, the internship offered additional insights to clarify my professional goals. It also highlighted the practical applications of the theories we learn in the classroom, demonstrating how these applications can differ in real life due to competing priorities, diverse stakeholders, and budget constraints.
What was the most rewarding aspect of your internship? What was the most challenging aspect? The most surprising aspect?
The most rewarding part of my internship was the sense that I could contribute to shaping and informing initiatives that positively impact real people (patients, families, and clinicians alike) and society as a whole.
At times, I found it challenging to balance the pursuit of revenue with the commitment to patient care. However, the saying “no margin, no mission” holds true in health care delivery. Gaining insight into how health care systems must prioritize this balance to deliver care and enact meaningful change in their local communities has been a lesson that extends beyond the 10 weeks I spent at the clinic, and it continues to resonate with me.
How has YSPH prepared you for this internship?
Dr. Mark Schlesinger's Health Policy class equipped me with much of the foundational knowledge I brought to my internship, particularly since I was working in primary care. The concepts I learned in his class helped contextualize the significance of my work at the clinic and provided me with a solid grounding that facilitated my discussions with senior leadership.
Additionally, Zerin Cetin's (MPH/MBA ’15) Designing Health Systems class enhanced my understanding of health care disruptors and offered valuable insights into recent trends within the industry.
What would you say to a student who’s considering a similar internship?
Your internship is what you make of it. If you enter the experience with an open mind, a willingness to learn, and a sense of confident humility, you will gain far more than you could have anticipated.