Hello and welcome to our 2019 Summer Internship Series. Today's post showcases a martial arts enthusiast, a sports fanatic, a soccer player from Jamaica, a world traveler, and Sam, who let's just say is not a fan of sharks. These interns have come to us from across the nation to gain real-life experience in healthcare by spending their summer with leaders from across the system.
Learn a little more about them below. And check back next week for our new installment.
Name: Reshena Clark
School: Florida International University
Major: Health Services Administration
Graduation Date: December 2019
My internship location and mentor: Managed Care with Ted Carpenter
Where I was born/raised: Gainesville, FL
The most influential person to me: My mother and late sister who passed away in a car accident. I've always been inspired by my mother's perseverance and hard work to make ends meet for my family despite trials and tribulations. Prior to my sister's passing, she was a very determined young lady, always striving to meet her goals and dreams. She inspired me to be a hard worker and remain dedicated to success no matter how long it takes.
Why I decided to study healthcare: I became interested in healthcare because I worked as a certified nursing assistant. This provided me with many opportunities to see how patients were treated and the lack of quality care. This alone sparked a unique interest to "be a part of the change I can see" and inspired me to work in healthcare administration. I aspire to continue to work in this sector in order to change the way healthcare is delivered and also improve both the efficiency as well as the quality of care of every patient.
What I hope to learn during my Broward Health internship: I would like to learn what the daily operations of different departments requires, understand the roles of health administrators, and why health administrators are so important in hospitals.
A fun fact about me: I love sports (football, basketball, softball, baseball, track...etc) GO Gators!
Name: Sam Henke
School: The Medical University of South Carolina
Major: Master in Healthcare Administration
Graduation Date: May 2020
My internship location and mentor: Corporate Administration, Alan Goldsmith
Where I was born/raised: Memphis, TN
The most influential person to me: My oldest brother (Josh) was one of the most influential people in my life growing up. By nature of being an older brother, he was always a role model I looked up to, and our similar interests created a platform on which our competitive nature and sibling rivalry always had opportunities to manifest. Though his five-year developmental head-start meant this “rivalry” was heavily one-sided, it gave me the experience of growing up chasing lofty goals, setting high expectations and, often foolishly so, always trying to punch above my weight. He continuously encouraged me to reach for the bar that he had set so high, and continues to be one of the biggest influences in my life, setting the bar higher and higher every day.
Why I decided to study healthcare: A few years ago, my oldest brother left a stable job to join a tech startup with minimal pay and no benefits. Shortly thereafter, he was rushed to the hospital for an emergency appendectomy, and after a quick surgical procedure and an 18 hour hospital stay, he received a bill of $52,000. Fortunately, after being without health insurance for the past month, he had negotiated healthcare coverage from his new employers just 10 days prior to the incident and narrowly avoided what would have been a catastrophe. Though I had no understanding of healthcare at the time, my interest was piqued by this narrow miss and almost life-changing charge for what seemed to be a standard procedure. While I have several reasons for pursuing a career in healthcare, my brother’s experience had the most profound impact on me, and I began applying to school to study health administration in the months following the incident.
What I hope to learn during my Broward Health internship: I am very interested in learning more about the capital expenditure decision-making and strategic planning processes in the face of ever-changing healthcare regulations.
A fun fact about me: I saw Jaws as a kid and was so traumatized by the experience that I refused to swim in the deep end of pools until I was 18.
Name: Lianne Radziwanowski
School: Florida International University
Major: Master in Business Administration with concentration in Healthcare
Graduation Date: December 2019
My internship location and mentor: Quality Management with Barry Gallison and Lee Ghezzi
Where I was born/raised: New Jersey
The most influential person to me: The most influential person growing up is my mother because she has always been my advocate, confidant, and motivator.
Why I decided to study healthcare: I enjoy helping others and meeting people of all different backgrounds. I’ve had four years of clinical experience, but now I am interested in learning what goes on behind the scenes
What I hope to learn during my Broward Health internship: I am excited to meet people from all different departments and learn about the quality and risk of healthcare.
A fun fact about me: I really enjoy traveling and learning new cultures.
Name: Reilani Vazquez
School: University of Central Florida
Major: Forensic Science
Graduation Date: August 2020
My internship location and mentor: Broward Health North Laboratory with Donna Valerioti, lab manager.
Where I was born/raised: Pembroke Pines, FL
The most influential person to me: My parents are the most influential people to me because of the way that they help motivate me to do new things out of my comfort zone but also supporting my own decisions. My parents have both shown me the importance of working in a place that you enjoy. Both of them have had experiences in their career where they no longer enjoyed what they were doing, and they were not afraid to embark on a new path. I have had a hard time deciding what I want to do in my life, and they have always told me that it does not matter what I end up doing, but that I should not be afraid to try new things and figure it out as I go, and in the end I should be happy with what I am doing.
Why I decided to study healthcare: I am studying forensic science and I found this opportunity to work in a clinical lab when looking for an internship. I thought it would a good place to learn new things.
What I hope to learn during my Broward Health internship: During my Broward Health internship this summer, I hope to learn proper protocols in a professional lab. In the future I hope to work in a forensic lab, where I will most likely be performing different tests than those performed in a clinical lab, but basic protocols can be very similar even in different labs. So I believe that I can integrate what I learn in a clinical lab into a forensic lab in the future.
A fun fact about me: I am a second degree black belt in Taekwondo.
Name: Akil Williams
School: Georgia State University
Major: Computer Information Systems
Graduation Date: May 2020
My internship location and mentor: I am working in IT and the two leaders I'm working with are Mary Hummel and Shalom Maimon.
Where I was born/raised: Born in Jamaica and lived in Easton, Pennsylvania until I was nine then moved to Atlanta, Georgia where I was raised and currently reside.
The most influential person to me: Actually, I have two influential figures in my life which are my mother and father. I picked both of them of them because they were able to accomplish their career goals.
Why I decided to study healthcare: I decided to study Computer Information Systems and that degree brings you to a variety of fields, so being that my mother has worked in the health field for many years I was immediately drawn to healthcare.
What I hope to learn during my Broward Health internship: I hope to get more insight on the cyber security position and also learning more about how IT compliments the healthcare industry.
A fun fact about me: I played two years of college soccer at Middle Georgia State before transferring to Georgia State.