From classroom to clinic: the impactful internships of Clay Linson and Olivia Naas

Clay Linson and Olivia Naas, seniors in the health administration program in the College of Health and Human Services at Western Michigan University, completed their internships at WMU’s Sindecuse Health Center. They presented their projects to leadership at Sindecuse and WMU Student Affairs, showcasing their hard work and dedication. Joe VanDerBos and Mark Broeckel served as their preceptors.

Olivia Naas took on the role of HIPAA Compliance Intern, focusing on a critical aspect of healthcare administration: security risk assessment. Her project centered on Section 7 - Contingency Planning's remediation and response. Olivia led Sindecuse intra-departmental teams and the Student Affairs Information Systems (SAIS) Team through a comprehensive discovery process. This included Gemba observations, interviews, business requirements gathering, system analysis, current vs. future state visioning, gap analysis, tool/solution development and tabletop simulation walkthroughs for two selected security event scenarios: a ransomware attack and a University Authentication Service disruption. 

Each stage of Olivia's process was iterative and incremental, feeding into the next stage to ensure the department's readiness for unplanned security events. Her work improved Sindecuse’s preparedness and resilience, making a lasting impact on their operational security. 

Clay Linson's internship focused on enhancing patient satisfaction through two key initiatives: non-user surveying and men's sexual health appointment cancellations. The non-user surveying initiative aimed to understand why students were not utilizing Sindecuse Health Center's services. Clay researched, drafted and implemented the survey, conducting outreach across campus to encourage participation. His efforts provided valuable insights into student perceptions and barriers to accessing healthcare. 

The second initiative addressed the issue of men's sexual health appointment cancellations. Clay analyzed appointment data and implemented a reminder and follow-up strategy to reduce cancellations. His ability to connect with students and elicit genuine responses was instrumental in identifying areas for improvement. Clay's findings and recommendations were well-received by senior Student Affairs leadership, highlighting the need for adjustments in how the Sindecuse provides access to healthcare. 

Joe VanDerBos, Patient Experience Manager at Sindecuse, praised the interns' contributions: 

"Clay and Olivia boosted our ongoing efforts at quality improvement and strengthening operational resilience. They accomplished tasks that had been percolating for a while without progress. They brought a fresh outlook to these projects and made a difference. They got the work done! Now we have a new framework for tackling projects and a success story to share with our accrediting body, the AAAHC." 

Clay and Olivia's internships at Sindecuse Health Center not only provided them with valuable real-world experience but also made a significant impact on operations and readiness. Their dedication and innovative approaches have set a new standard for future interns and projects at Sindecuse.