Making an Impact: Spencer Davis Gains Hands-On Experience at Grady Health System
About the Program
This past summer, Grady Health System – Atlanta’s level 1 trauma center – is hosted a healthcare business internship program over the span 8 weeks. The Grady health system prides itself on the delivery of essential care humanity, compassion, and kindness. In the heart of Atlanta, 6 undergraduate students had the opportunity to explore 5 departments: human resources, information technology, operations, revenue cycle, or supply chain if selected. Recently, Piedmont’s own, Spencer Davis, was selected to participate in the program, where she worked under the supervision of supply chain executives and healthcare operations leadership.
Spencer’s Reflection
The Grady Healthcare Business Internship Program was nothing short of amazing! To preface, I had been applying to summer internships for years prior but never got a “yes”. This year, before I gave up, I applied to this program just days before the application closed and miraculously got accepted after an interview I thought I failed. Stepping foot on Grady’s campus opened my eyes to the true capabilities of healthcare – what it means to be a high reliance organization and how community aid matters.
During my time at Grady, I participated in numerous community outreach events, collaborated with various operational departments, learned the organization’s history, and witnessed first-hand what Grady means to Atlanta. There was a phrase I heard throughout my time there: Atlanta can’t live without Grady – a phrase which I now know to be true. Grady is always trying to improve the health outcomes of its community, to make a difference. Every Thursday they serve the unhoused – providing laundry services, haircuts, showers, and hot meals. They’ve built satellite locations to address the lack of healthcare in underserved areas, developed mobile mammograms, and more. And that’s just been great to be a part of.
As far as my actual focus areas are concerned – supply chain and operations – I split my time between the two departments. In supply chain, my primary focus area, I contributed to the optimization of time in the form of meeting minutes, attended briefings about systemwide supply needs, spent time with executives and discussed saving strategies, and generated a proposal for departmental centralization. In my secondary focus area, operations, I got to learn the roles of a Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt, by participating in Gemba walks – the place where things happen – i.e. unit 10A, conducting rounds in clinical service areas, and participating in Grady’s true north: anticipating needs, ensuring patient safety, and exceeding expectations. Everyone at Grady tries to have a positive impact on a guest, even though their reason for being there may not be. With the operations department, I am going to see staff’s continuous effort to provide that safety and address that need. Due to this, everyday my expectation was to go in and make an impact somehow – and I believe that was one of many deliverables from this experience.
Highlights
- Grady Main facilities tour and off-site locations tours – toured many floors of Grady hospital while learning the organization’s history (did you know: the H shape separated the hospital into whites only wings and blacks only wings)
- Community outreach – built a house with the supply chain department for Atlanta Habitat for Humanity and hosted a “back-to-school bash at Grady’s Camp Creek location to provide school supplies, immunizations, and sports physicals
- Capstone – final presentation about a Grady initiative that combined experiences throughout the internship with research compiled by speaking with hospital partners (allowed networking, critical thinking, and collaboration between departments)
- Certifications – opportunity to earn Lean Six Sigma White Belt and Yellow Belt
