This portion of my internship was more hands-on than the first few weeks. I am more oriented in the organization and am more familiar with processes and colleagues. I continued to sit with different professionals in various areas of Bon Secours. In the beginning of February, I sat with an operations director who was working on a project to increase motivation and engagement within the environmental services team. I was able to create a template for a “motivational board” that would serve as a dashboard with data to show improvement and opportunities. I also created slots that would highlight team members who were doing a great job and those who were showing improvement. I also sat with a manager in the medical-oncology group at St. Mary’s hospital; his position is similar to Susan’s, but on the medical group side of the aisle. He and I attended a large monthly meeting for medical group practice managers. There, I was able to learn how to be an effective change manager for my staff. I really enjoyed the opportunity to work with him and got a lot out of the experience.

Later that week, I sat with a financial services coordinator. In her position, she assists patients visiting the infusion centers navigate their insurance, as well as secure copay assistance and/or free drugs. This is a position that was very interesting to me; if another position of this nature opens up, my preceptor and other higher ups are already speaking on my behalf to recommend me.

Over the past few weeks, I was able to complete my welcome packet and submit it to Susan’s leaders for final approval. In the coming weeks, I will be presenting it to each infusion site, along with Press Ganey survey education. I also helped Susan in drafting policy concerning chemotherapy medication handling and new CMS supervision guidelines. These policies are being presented at an upcoming meeting for approval. We also completed an OPIC/Pharmacy workflow binder that explicitly lists our procedure and processes for registrars and other staff. This allowed me greater insight into OPIC operations and to take ownership over another project.

As I get closer to graduation, I am preparing to enter the workforce. Susan has been helping me with questions about “real world” matters and assisted me in prepping for interviews. With her help, I was able to secure a position at McKesson’s Richmond, VA headquarters.

Overall, I am truly enjoying my internship experience and I cannot list all of the takeaways I am getting from it. I am sad that it will soon be coming to a close, but I am excited to see where it takes me.