Internship Spotlight at KVC

Master of Health Services Administration student Jeylinne Enriquez Melendez spent her summer as an intern in the Administration Department of KVC Psychiatric Hospital. She answered a few questions for us on what the experience meant to her and shared tips for how to maximize a summer internship experience.

What was a typical day (or week) like?
There is no typical day; the most amazing thing about working as an administrator at KVC is that every day is different with no expected good and bad situations. I arrived at the office at 8:30 and followed my preceptor to different meetings in the morning, in and out of the office. I had the opportunity to shadow multiple staff members (nurse, behavioral technician, vice president of administration, therapists, unit coordinators, performance improvement staff, and medical record staff) in the first weeks, but then I started to work on my projects, and requests from my preceptor, from 1 to 4:30.

Tell us your most memorable experience.
Everything I did in the hospital was amazing and memorable. Having the director of administration as my preceptor, and sharing the office with him, gave me the opportunity to learn everything I wanted to know. He was flexible and open to try all my new ideas to improve the hospital environment, with the intention of changing the culture to a positive one. That made each day in the hospital a great journey and the best part is that I was in charge of all the projects! Out of all the projects, my most memorable one is a gardening project I developed to start helping the kids learn about the importance of healthy nutrition, while receiving behavioral therapy at the same time. I had the opportunity to raise donations from different places for this project, and it makes me extremely happy knowing that kids will have the opportunity to gain mental and physical wellness because of this project.

Give us an example of a time you applied a technique or theory in class to your internship.
Not having any background on administration, I believe that all classes have provided different necessary techniques and tools needed to be successful in the healthcare environment. Financial techniques helped me understand how the organization runs the budget and how to create patient and staff plans and activities according to the budget with the goal to decrease losses and increase profits. Understanding the importance of planning ahead, but appreciating uncertainty at the same time, gave me a better perspective of the new healthcare environment, its diversity, and its change. This helped me to be prepared and try to implement ideas in the internship that were flexible to changing situations and adapted to today's environment.

Share with us your top secret for success.
Healthcare changes continuously, the only way to be able to maintain a business running is always staying updated and informed with the latest innovations. Learn from others mistakes, always stay ahead, be different, be innovative, flexible, and adaptable to change.  Understanding where healthcare is going is impossible, but those hospitals that are prepared, mold, and understand uncertainty are the only organizations that will be able to survive.

Making the staff happy to go to work, presenting a positive and satisfactory environment with the best quality, is something that can make any hospital these days competitive. There is a new way to deal with healthcare; it is time for managers and leaders to spend less time in the office and spend more time on the floor were changes can be made. Also, staff involvement in the organization's processes is a great way to generate amazing ideas and make the organization a place where everyone wants to be. Working in a hospital is not about earning money anymore, it is about surpassing any expectation, being the best, providing the best service, adapting and finding new and creative ways to survive healthcare changes, but most importantly creating a culture of excellence that never ceases.