Hey, hounds! This week on Highlighting Hounds, we are featuring recent graduate, Owen Podolec ’24, on his spring internship at Seven Hills Foundation & Affiliates! As the eHana Workgroup IT Intern, Owen gained practical training in managing computer software by operating the company’s new electronic health record system, eHana. Owen recently graduated with a degree in Human Services and is pursuing his Master’s degree in Healthcare Management at Assumption! Read the blog below to learn more about Owen’s internship!
Describe a typical day as an intern. What were your day-to-day tasks and responsibilities?
As an intern, I was assigned project-based work specifically with the new electronic healthcare system, eHana. With this new transition of databases and healthcare records, I was able to create training logs for employees on how to operate the system and later train employees on how to use it.
Were you involved in any major projects or accomplishments as an intern?
A major project I was a part of was when I teamed with a Vice President of an affiliate to condense a list of job codes and titles across the organization. Through this, I was able to work within a team, participate in weekly meetings, and manage the Excel document tied to the project with problem-solving skills through data entry.
What are your career goals? How will this internship help you reach those goals?
A goal I have for the future is to get into more project management work or be a compliance officer for a healthcare company. My internship has helped set the foundation for my goals in the future based on getting to work with an EHR daily and being able to be a part of so many projects.
What are your key takeaways from your experience? What skills did you gain from this internship?
Some key takeaways from my internship experience so far are to always be on time; with the project operating in phases, everything needed to fall in numerical order. I gained a lot of great skills during this internship: collaborative problem-solving during the job coding, being technical support during the trainings, being able to navigate employees through the health record system, and written communication when writing about the eHana GoLive summary for a formal presentation.
Why did you apply to this internship? What aspects of the position/company interested you?
I was introduced to this internship through networking. Sophie Santaella, Executive VP and COO of Seven Hills Foundation took me in as her first intern for the company; I was so excited to work with her and get to know what her role was with the company. I was interested in not only the “behind the scenes” work within Seven Hills’s business aspects, but I really enjoyed how well they operate in care and communication.
How has your Assumption career prepared you for this internship?
Assumption has prepared me well for this internship opportunity, especially through my Human Services courses. While taking the course Interviewing Techniques, I was able to learn different forms of conversation styles, interviewing, and counseling skills. Rehabilitation Strategies has also been a helpful course, I was able to learn about the intake process for people with cognitive disabilities and how care is assigned.
What advice would you give to a student who wants to participate in an internship? There are a lot of different internship opportunities in the Worcester area and being aware of each opportunity available is key, so I recommend starting your internship research early!
If you are interested in being featured on Highlighting Hounds, please email us at careerdevelopment@assumption.edu!
