Capstone Internship
Veterans Health Administration- Indianapolis, Indiana
Associate Director of Patient Care Services
Personal Learning Objectives:
-Become more familiar with operations of a hospital
-Complete projects that affect the facility
-Become more comfortable networking/ focusing on building meaningful relationships
I started my Internship in January of 2023 from a email I received about an opening through the school. After interviewing I was selected to work for ADPCS or Associate Director of Patient Care Services. This is where I work under the "Chief Operating Nurse".
My day to day activities mimic those of an Administrative Officer at the VA. These tasks include: tracking equipment, posting, recruiting, and setting up interviews for clinical positions, but the main goal in this position to take pressure off the service chief you work under.
During this internship I have been assigned many projects. One of these was to help plan and implement a construction project in the hospitals kitchen. During this project I learned the importance of networking and having a good relationship with those departments you do not always work so closely with. I created an action tracker, monitored progress, connected individuals with proper resources, and helped create a plan of action while also bringing awareness to the hospital of this construction and how it will affect the facility.
Personal Developement
I have always felt that no one is a master of something and there are always areas of improvement. For myself I think areas that I could improve to better fit my role as a student is internally. I need to work on patience and understand that not everything can be completed in a day. I think I could improve my time management skills and balancing what is a priority at the moment. Also, since my job requires communicating with all type of employee I think I could improve my written communication via email, teams, or texts to create a clear picture for the audience I am speaking to. I think over time these skills will improve as well as being self aware.
Academic Connections
One major connection I have made through the classroom setting and my internship is creating relationships and setting clear goals for myself and of those around me. This has helped me class projects, group activities, and homework assignments. Clear goals and objectives help me complete every task I have. This improves work outcomes and keeps individuals liable for their work.