Industrial & Systems Engineering Internship Story: Christ Health Center

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Caley Record

Industrial & Systems Engineering | Pre-Med

What company did you work with and where are they located?

I interned with Christ Health Center, which is located in Birmingham, AL.

How did you identify and apply for this position? Are there any specific resources you used to find the opportunity (i.e., Handshake, career fairs, other recruitment events)?

During my internship search, I used resources like Handshake and the career fairs to identify potential opportunities. However, what connected me to my internship experience at Christ Health Center was previous volunteering experience there.

 
What was the application process like?

The application process was unique because this role was a mix of engineering and pre-medical, and the role was new this year. Previous experience volunteering there also led to a more informal application process. Since this role was brand new this year, the application process also involved brainstorming what projects the role could entail and what the structure of the role would look like.

 
Tell us about your experience. What types of tasks and projects did you engage in? Was there a particular project or part of the experience you learned the most from?

I had the opportunity to conduct a quality audit of over 1000 patient charts, develop an automated formatting pathway in multiple Excel spreadsheets, evaluate HEDIS measures, and more.


One of the projects I completed that I learned the most from was automating parts of the staff scheduling process using Excel. This project strengthened my Excel skills, and I also really enjoyed applying algorithmic thinking in this project to create automated pathways.

In what ways did this experience help you prepare for your next destination after Auburn?

This experience has inspired me to pursue the pre-med route at Auburn. During this internship, I worked alongside the quality team to complete a variety of projects, but I also had the opportunity to shadow physicians at the clinic. This unique role allowed me to pursue dual interests in medicine and engineering and ultimately inspired me to pursue a career in medicine.

In what ways did your coursework or other experiences at Auburn prepare you for this experience? Are there specific topics or skills you learned from classes that you put into practice on the job?

Learning Excel in my courses helped tremendously to prepare me for projects that involved collecting and analyzing data. Also, group projects in previous courses prepared me to communicate effectively in a team.
After my internship and in my classes this semester, I keep noticing ways that what I’m learning could be used in a healthcare setting. This helps me approach my classes with an intentionality and excitement to learn in a way that will prepare me for a future career in medicine.

Do you have any advice for other students looking for an experience like yours?

I would highly recommend exploring opportunities through Handshake and career fairs with an open mind. Going into my internship search, I had little idea what I was looking for specifically. Coming out of the experience, I saw my major in a whole new light and decided to pursue the pre-med path. Going into the experience hoping to learn and grow helped me have an awesome internship experience.