Welcome back to our 2020 Summer Internship series! In today's post, you'll meet interns who are working in Child Life, Health Information Management, Claim and Insurance Services, and more. While their roles are varied throughout our healthcare system, our interns are focused on one common goal: delivering high-quality care to patients.
Name: Lydia Sanchez
School: Florida Atlantic University
Major: Health Administration / Minor: Healthcare Information Systems
Graduation Date: August 2020
My internship location and mentor: Claims & Insurance Services / Mike Cavazos
Where I was born/raised: I was born and raised in Miami, FL
How the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted my education and what the experience has taught me: The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the normal structure of how college education was delivered and college life overall. It has changed how I learn lectures and speak and interact with my peers. I did not want the pandemic to prevent me from reaching my educational goals and graduating on time; therefore, this experience has taught me how to adapt and persevere through challenging and difficult times.
The most influential person to me: The most influential person to me is my mom. She continues to inspire me with her wisdom, intelligence, and compassion and has been a positive influence to me ever since I was young. She has molded me into the person I am today and taught me how to be a better person through my mindset and actions while expanding my knowledge and experiences.
Why I’m interested in healthcare: I am interested in healthcare because in the health industry, I will be able to work alongside people that share a common goal of providing the best service to patients. Whether it’s working directly with patients or on the administrative side, the patients safety and wellbeing is priority. It is a team-effort on both clinical and non-clinical sides to help, guide, and support patients through their experiences and help alleviate the stress they could be facing.
What I hope to learn during my Broward Health internship: I hope to learn more about the health care industry and the daily operations of the department I am in. I also hope to learn the essential characteristics of being a leader and how to better navigate adverse situations.
A fun fact about me: I love practicing jiu-jitsu and have a passion for martial arts!
Name: Anthony M. Rodriguez
School: University of Central Florida
Major: Health Informatics and Information Management
Graduation Date: Fall '20?
My internship location and mentor: HIM Dept. @ BHMC with Linda Stanic
Where I was born/raised: Born and raised in Miami, FL
How the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted my education and what the experience has taught me: COVID has impacted my education more than I thought possible. From delaying graduation to closing campus. The greatest lesson learned from COVID is the importance of adaptability and achieving results in less than ideal situations.
The most influential person to me: I can't simply choose 1 person, I have to choose two people! And without hesitation they would be my parents. I am blessed to still have them in my life and even more blessed to call them my best friends. I would be nothing were it not for them.
Why I’m interested in healthcare: Healthcare is so multi-faceted, from having the ability to help patients face-to-face to helping from behind the scenes, it is so powerful being able to witness the full scope and reach of healthcare from within a hospital setting. This unique ability to help patients within our communities in a very real way is why I am interested in healthcare.
What I hope to learn during my Broward Health internship: I hope to learn more about myself and the skills I need to improve upon after this internship is completed, while also being able to network with like-minded individuals within my industry.
A fun fact about me: I am an old soul and currently have a collection of over 100 vinyl records!
Name: Lauren Redden
School: Nova Southeastern University
Major: Developmental Disabilities with a Child Life Concentration
Graduation Date: August, 2021
My internship location: Salah Foundation Children’s Hospital
Mentors: Kasey Castro and Caitlin Harrison
Where I was born/raised: I was born in Orlando, Florida and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan
How the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted my education and what the experience has taught me: The COVID-19 pandemic has positively impacted my internship education through challenging me to become more creative when implementing therapeutic activities. This pandemic has taught me about the importance of collaboration between healthcare workers.
The most influential person to me: My mother is the most influential person to me. She was a pediatric Nurse for 23 years and encouraged me to pursue the child life profession. Additionally, my mother is an incredible role model and has made me into the person I am today.
Why I’m interested in healthcare: The child life profession aims to support families impacted by illness and hospitalization. This field utilizes various types of therapy and intervention through implementing aspects of preparation, education, and distraction in order to help children cope. I am interested in the child life profession because of the positive impact it can make on families lives.
What I hope to learn during my Broward Health internship: I hope to continue to learn more about diagnosis education interventions, such as the specific developmentally appropriate language and activities utilized when explaining a diagnosis to a child.
A fun fact about me: I was a member of the Florida Atlantic University dance team for 2 years while I was pursuing my undergraduate degree.
Name: Bryce Petrillo
School: University of Florida
Major: Business Administration
Graduation Date: May 2021
My internship location and mentor: Broward Health Corporate, Alan Goldsmith
Where I was born/raised: Fort Lauderdale, FL
How the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted my education and what the experience has taught me: The COVID-19 pandemic cut my junior year short, as UF transitioned to virtual education for most of the spring semester. This experience has taught me how to handle uncertainty and to acclimate to virtual communication platforms.
The most influential person to me: The most influential person to me is my dad because he is a leader within his career and he always encourages me to pursue my aspirations.
Why I’m interested in healthcare: I am interested in healthcare because it offers a variety of career options and it is an essential component of every community.
What I hope to learn during my Broward Health internship: I hope to gain a deeper understanding of the operations and departments that exist throughout the Broward Health system.
A fun fact about me: I was born at Broward Health Medical Center.
My name is Lauren Newsome and I am a Health Science major at Florida Gulf Coast University. I am projected to graduate in May of 2022.
I am currently interning with Heather Woolf at Spectrum.I was born in West Palm Beach, Florida but currently reside in Jupiter, Florida.
COVID-19 has impacted my education because all of the study sessions I once attended have been cancelled. I am a huge advocate for studying in groups and since everything has been shut down, I am no longer allowed to meet up each week and review for upcoming exams with my study group. We all had to adapt and figure out a way to communicate online. We all put our heads together and came up with a way to meet virtually and continue the study group through the end of the semester. COVID-19 has definitely taught me how to be fluid. When things don’t work out as planned, you can always find an alternative way to get the work done.
The most influential person in my life is definitely my mother. She is the most hard-working woman I have ever met. Not only is she always there for our family, but she is there for her friends. She is always willing to lend a helping hand to anyone in need.
As we know, healthcare is continuously changing. Working in the healthcare field will give me the opportunity to grow and learn every single day. I am always up for a challenge and I know working in healthcare will push me to be the best version of myself.
During my internship, I hope to gain clarity on my career choice (whether that is working clinically or on the business administrative side). I also hope to learn adaptability skills, professional leadership skills, and gain confidence.
A fun fact about me is that I have a twin brother!