COOL FOR THE SUMMER: Interns get to see ‘countless’ healthcare opportunities

By Ryan Clark

CHS Communications Director

This week: Rebekah Cook

 

When Rebekah met Amber, you could say everything changed.

Or, without being so dramatic, you could say that because of the meeting, Rebekah got a really rockin’ internship.

“I attended the Clinical Leadership and Management Internship speed dating fair in late January,” says the 20-year-old from Crothersville, Ind. “While at the fair I met Amber Hanna, the Office Manager at Poole and Thomas Pediatrics. After filling out an application and a questionnaire, I had a meeting with Amber and was offered the internship position.” 

There you go.

But there’s more to it than that. Rebekah gets to work alongside Amber, but also with a lot of other people, too. It gives her a great look at the many jobs in the healthcare field.

“I have the opportunity to work with the physicians, clinical staff, and other administrators in our office,” she says. “Working with a variety of different people in different positions has allowed me to see the countless opportunities in healthcare.”

And, day to day, she does a variety of things.

“In the doctor’s office I work a lot with our paper chart system,” she says. “This includes adding the doctor's notes, lab results, consultation notes from other providers, and updating demographic information. Other responsibilities I have include communicating with parents and patients about their appointments — for example, confirming them and sometimes having to cancel them.” 

She knows she’ll have a leg up when it comes to getting a permanent position in the future.

“The Clinical Leadership and Management Program at the University of Kentucky has taught me numerous things about the healthcare industry, like being a healthcare administrator,” she says. “Interning, however, allows you to see these things firsthand. It also allows me to use what I have learned in the classroom in real-life situations. Interning allows you to see the professional side and it also allows you to grow your network.”

And she knows she found the perfect place to do it.

“Poole and Thomas Pediatrics have welcomed me with open arms into their practice,” she says. “Everyone at Poole and Thomas Pediatrics has taught me something that I will continue to use in my career.” 

 

Each week we'll feature another student who is participating in a summer internship.