Reflection Paper

Emily Falberg

Dr. Kaninjing

KINS 4306

11 April 2021
Introduction:

My name is Emily Falberg, and I am a senior at Georgia College & State University

studying Public Health. This semester for my internship, I had a wonderful opportunity to work

for Emory Johns Creek Hospital. Emory Johns Creek Hospital is located in Johns Creek,

Georgia, which is in my hometown. I was so excited to be able to intern here because I have

always wanted to work in a hospital setting for my career. Emory Johns Creek’s mission

statement is: “Our mission is to serve our community with extraordinary care, showing

unparalleled compassion to every patient, every day, withing an environment of education and

discovery.” They want to give the best care to all patients so that the patients are satisfied and

will come back if needed. Emory Johns Creek opened in February 2007. There are over 600

doctors spread across 43 different specialties, including 110 beds and four floors, and each floor

is a different unit. As of last year, the hospital is adding two more floors and more beds. The

construction will hopefully be done in June if there are no problems. The hospital is excited and

looking forward to adding more growth.

The staff I have been working with are amazing. Patient Relations and Human Resources

all share the same office building, so I was able to meet people from both departments. There are

4 women who work for Patient Relations, and it has been rewarding getting to know them. They

treat me as an employee, not an intern. It is such a great feeling because I feel a part of the team.

Description of Experiences:

My role as an intern was to do all of the background work for the Patient and Family

Advisory Council (PFAC) and to help Maria, my supervisor, with anything she needs. I would

send emails to the council to read over patient comments and prepare for meetings. I also update

graphics, read through comments, email audits, and many other things. During the times where I
was not doing anything for the PFAC, I would help Maria with other things. In addition, I helped

with making newsletters for patients, observations of the different departments, updating excel

sheets for the different floors, and other little assignments. I enjoyed taking breaks and doing

different activities other than just focusing on the PFAC. 

My favorite part of my internship was observing the different departments. I enjoyed

observing certain departments because it allowed me to learn more about the hospital as a whole

and the specific roles it takes to keep the hospital running successfully. It helped me figure out

what I want to do with my career after I graduate. While I was observing, I asked many questions

to really understand what they do for their jobs. The departments I observed were the Emergency

Department, Main Registration, and the Cath Lab. I also feel that my network has grown through

this process because they got to know me well. Maria is helping me, and she said that observing

has been beneficial because they know I work for Maria. I have built personal connects with the

staff, and I believe that it will benefit me in the future. After learning so much from observing

different departments and connecting with many of the people within the departments, I am

hoping to receive a summer job at the hospital.

The most challenging part of my internship was definitely my project. I had to create a

manual for the PFAC, which I struggled with, because I did not know how to formulate a

manual. To help, Maria gave me a sample manual from another hospital. Even with the sample

manual, I struggled because there was so much to do, however I figured out that taking it step-

by-step help me not become overwhelmed. I was unsure if I was doing it correctly or not, but

Maria helped me tremendously; however, I still had a hard time with it. It was not my favorite

part of the internship; however, I now understand how to write a manual. 

 I wish that I could have sat in on more meetings with Maria and have more of that patient

relation experience. Patients or family members of that patient call Maria for a complaint. I wish

that I could have sat in on those calls and learned what she does when a patient or family

member complains. Maria also goes up to see the patient if they are emitted, and I wish that I

could go up as well and just listen. I think the reason that I could not do that is because I am not

“qualified,” but that is something I wish I could have done. 

Perception and Evaluation of the Internship:

The internship did meet my personal expectations. I knew that this internship would be

an office type of environment. I was also expecting a lot of work and time going into this. My

supervisor is really fun, but she is also very serious about her work. There were a few things that

I was not expecting to happen during my internship. I thought that an internship was strictly just

work, but Maria wanted to help me with other things to prepare me for my future. I was not

expecting to work on job interviews, finding jobs, and going over my resume. I am so happy that

I was able to work closely with her on those things because it is all important. Another thing that

I was not expecting was how much time assignments can take. I had one assignment on an excel

that took me almost two weeks to complete. I thought that having an 8-hour day for a week

would be enough, but I learned that certain things take longer, and that is okay.

The organization was open to my ideas. I did not attend many meetings with the staff;

however, when I did, we all got lunch, and I would participate in the conversation. In the

meetings, they were open-minded. There were not a lot of opportunities where I could express

my thoughts; however, when I had the opportunity to, I would speak up. If I said something that

they did not agree with, they would be respectful and tell me why. Most of the time it was

because of the hospital protocol, which I did not know. I was able to help Human Resources with
a few things, and they were thankful. I helped them label goodie bags for the departments so they

could deliver it to them.

The supervision from my internship supervisor was effective. She would give me

assignments to do and then we would go over it together and make corrections if needed. If I was

deleting names from an excel, she would just show me exactly what to do, and I would do it. If

there was an assignment with writing or PowerPoint, that is when she would go over it with me.

She wanted me to try on my own first, and then she would teach me how to word things

differently or how to make the PowerPoint a little more fun and colorful. I was in the office next

to her, so it was convenient if I needed her. I liked how she left me alone to do my assignments

and was not looking over me all day. She trusted me which allowed me to feel more comfortable

in my position.

My experience could have been improved by having more assignments. There were days

where I had nothing to do. I would just sit at the computer trying to figure out something out to

do. There is only so much I am allowed to do, so if Maria needed help with something, I would

do it. If I finished my assignments, and she had nothing else for me to do, I would do something

random like work on newsletters for the upcoming week. 

I would definitely recommend the setting to future interns if they are interested in Patient

Relations. I have received lots of experience throughout the semester. Emory Hospital is also

highly rated and well known. It looks so good on resumes that an internship was done here. The

experience overall has been good for me personally. I think anyone would be so lucky to have

the opportunity to do his or her internship here. Everyone is so supportive, sweet, and

welcoming. 
 I would consider my career in the hospital setting; however, I would not consider myself

in Patient Relations specifically. I have really enjoyed my time; however, it is not the job I see

myself in. I cannot sit looking at a computer screen all day. I really struggled with that. I am

atype of person who needs to be up and moving around. 

Internship Preparedness: 

I was prepared academically for my placement. I felt that my undergraduate program had

the right classes for my internship. There were many things that Maria had asked if I learned

certain material, and I was able to confidently say yes. I was surprised that my academics were

used a lot with my internship. I wish that I had paid a little more attention to a few of my classes

because it would have been more beneficial to me. 

I felt most prepared and confident with my computer skills. I used Excel, Microsoft

Word, and PowerPoint a lot throughout my internship. Some of the things I had to be reminded

of, but once Maria reminded me how to do something, I remembered exactly what to do. I least

felt prepared in waking up early and going to work for 8-hours of the day. College did not

prepare me for that, and I wish it did. I struggled the first few weeks waking up early and staying

awake throughout the day. I did not realize how nice it is to relax after a long day away from

home. 

The courses that I found most helpful were Methods of Health, Computer Science, and

Health Promotion and Planning. In my Health Promotion and Planning class, I learned logic

models, and I was forming a logical model with Maria, so it was great timing. Computer Science

was also useful because I used many of the applications that I did in that class. I did not know

that Patient Relations used a lot of material that I learned in my courses, and I think it was so

cool because now I have the background knowledge I can use for my future job. 
 GCSU/School of Health and Human Performance can better prepare Public Health

students for real life application of public health concepts and for future employment by staying

consistent on resumes. I did not know that resume outlines are different depending on your

major. I have been told by 3 different people how to set up my resume: my professor, the career

center, and my supervisor. My supervisor helped me with my resume because she sees resumes

all the time when hiring, and she said that my resume looks amazing. I think students are shy and

do not utilize the resources that are offered at GCSU and struggle when graduation is around the

corner when applying for jobs.

Internship Performance:

The biggest skills and knowledge that was acquired as part of my internship was

professional writing. I have always struggled with my writing because I never have had a big

vocabulary or learned how to professionally. I told Maria I was not the best writer, and she

helped me throughout my entire internship. Now that my internship is coming to an end, Maria

and I can see a big improvement in my writing skills.

I was very satisfied with my performance on my assignments, projects, and presentations.

I paced everything out well so that I would not be overwhelmed and feel rushed. I started all of

my assignments and projects early so that I could get it done before the deadline and start on

something new. I felt that I did a good job with all of my assignments. There were times where I

felt that I could have done a bit better; however, I could not think of anything else to add on to

my projects and assignments. Once Maria helped me, then I was able to think of more things to

add.

Some skills I think I can sharpen to be as successful as possible after graduation is to be

more creative, writing, and think deeper. Maria told me that I need to think more outside the box
and be creative rather than being so concrete. I am a concrete person, so I only think what I need;

however, going deeper will get me so much further in life. I also need to keep improving my

writing. The internship was definitely a really good place to start off and build my skills.

Personal/Professional Insights/Benefits:

The internship has made a positive impact in my personal, professional, and academic

goals. I feel very comfortable being in a professional work setting now. I also feel that I am a

more professionally mature after being in my internship. I treated my internship as a full-time

job, which helped so much. I am excited to start a career job because I am ready, and I feel

prepared!

The biggest insight that I have gained regarding the organization I have worked with is

diversity. Diversity is so important to the hospital because they want to represent the

underrepresented population. They want everyone to feel welcomed and comfortable. There is

lots of diversity within patient relations and the different departments. Everyone treats each other

with respect, and it is such a wonderful things to witness. There were no favorites, and everyone

feels treated the same.

Conclusion:

Overall, my internship has been a wonderful experience. I have learned so much just in

15-weeks. Maria, my supervisor, has been an amazing person to help and guide me. I highly

recommend her to anyone who is interested in Patient Relations. I am so thankful that I was able

to receive this opportunity. I cannot wait to see where my future takes me after I graduate. I have

gained so much experience that I can take with me wherever I end up after graduation.