“I’m from Georgia and Wellstar has always been around — a lot of my family were patients there, including my grandma at Kennestone. When I moved back to Georgia, it was one of the first places that came to mind. What really inspired me, though, was looking at formerly Wellstar CEO Candice Saunder’s background. She started as a nurse and worked her way up to being a CEO, which I thought was so interesting and unique.

I went through the regular application and interview process, but networking definitely helped me learn about the opportunity. Through GSU and FHE, I met people at Wellstar, including Jessi Tran, a former intern and now manager of operations, who told me about the program. Talking to you and others also helped me figure out how to position myself for it. I still did what every applicant does like interview and apply, but I think those connections played a role in me even knowing about it in the first place.”

“My preceptor really encouraged me to learn as much as possible across Wellstar, even outside my pediatric service line role. I worked on over 16 major projects, but the most memorable was the nursing audit crosswalk with the nursing service line. It connected back to my nursing background, and I got to dig into system audits, identify inconsistencies, compare them to dashboards in Epic, and present my findings to nursing executives and managers. I also created a project plan for it and presented it in my 8810 experiential learning class.

Another big one was the age standardization project for the musculoskeletal service line, making scheduling more consistent when patients transition from pediatric to adult care. I even stepped in as an interim supervisor at the ortho trauma clinic.

And then there was the Kennestone Yellow Tower project. They needed an operations plan for moving the old bistro into the new tower without disrupting food service for patients and staff. I worked with the operations manager to create a milestone matrix, coordinate with the NFS team, and build a 15-page operations plan. Those three were probably the biggest highlights.”

“With so many projects, one challenge was balancing my time and coordinating with so many different people. But my biggest personal challenge was figuring out where I fit in the organization. I came in thinking, ‘I’m just an intern — what can I really do?’ I wasn’t sure if I could speak up in meetings or take the lead on things.

Watching leaders helped me overcome that. They were receptive to my participation, and I noticed they weren’t afraid to ask questions or admit when they didn’t know something. That made me realize it’s okay to speak up, and if you’re thinking something, someone else probably is too. By the end, I felt much more confident in my role and in what I could bring as a leader.”

“It helped me discover what I enjoy and what I’m good at. I came in thinking I might like operations and strategy, and the experience confirmed that. I worked closely with operational managers and learned how to improve processes and strategize effectively.

Now, even in my current role, I approach everything from an operational and strategic standpoint. The internship really gave me that deeper understanding and showed me that’s where my passion lies.”

“Be curious and proactive. Even if you don’t know exactly what you want to do, have an idea and communicate it early. My co-intern knew exactly what she wanted and spent her whole internship in that area. I wasn’t as specific, but I expressed interest in operations, which led me to a wide variety of projects and helped me figure out my path.

Push yourself to seek out opportunities — don’t just wait for projects to come to you. And network as much as possible. Some of my biggest projects came from relationships I built before I even started, and networking also helped me get the role I’m in now. Internships go by quickly, so give it your all while you’re there.”