New certificate gives ISE student edge in healthcare

Auburn industrial and systems engineering student Cole Shankles is already seeing the impact of Auburn’s new Healthcare Systems graduate certificate as he prepares to begin an executive residency with HCA Healthcare after graduation.

Shankles, from Pisgah, Alabama, earned his bachelor’s degree in industrial and systems engineering in 2024 and will complete a dual master’s degree in industrial and systems engineering and business administration in May. He is also president of Engineers Without Borders and previously interned with Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama and Parkridge East Hospital in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Shankles said the COVID-19 pandemic and his mother’s experiences as a nurse shaped his decision to pursue a healthcare career.

“Seeing her and her colleagues struggle is really what pushed me to want to make a difference in healthcare,” he said.

He chose industrial and systems engineering for its focus on process improvement and efficiency, skills he applied during his healthcare administration internship this summer at Parkridge East, part of HCA Healthcare’s 200-hospital network. One of his projects involved improving workflow in the hospital’s food and nutrition services department.

“It was funny because it was such little things that could be changed,” he said. “They had cups on one end of the kitchen and sweet tea on the other. I suggested moving them together so staff never had to move their feet. Small changes can make a big difference.”

The hospital’s CEO later recommended Shankles for HCA Healthcare’s competitive executive residency program. He will join the organization’s Nashville-based division office next year, where he will rotate through senior leadership roles and support systemwide improvement initiatives.

Shankles said Auburn’s Healthcare Systems certificate helped distinguish him during interviews.

“It gave me something to talk about,” he said. “I was often competing with students in healthcare administration programs. This certificate shows I understand healthcare operations, safety and policy from an engineering perspective.”

He said training in Lean, Six Sigma, human factors and systems optimization gave him a technical edge.

“Being able to dissect the math behind processes and apply concepts like alarm fatigue in a real hospital set me apart,” he said. “That engineering perspective isn’t always there in the business or healthcare admin world.” Shankles credits Auburn’s industrial and systems engineering program with helping him turn a passion for healthcare into a career path.