Health administration internship offers professional experience (12-19-07)
Two Adams State College health administration students interned at Valley-Wide Health Systems, Inc. (VWHS) in Alamosa this fall.
Tanya Martin and Andrea Maes, seniors majoring in business management and health care administration, spent most of the semester experiencing first-hand what is means to work in medical care administration.
Richard Vallone, assistant professor of business, arranged to have the students work with Suzanne DeVore, special projects coordinator for VWHS. "It was a perfect match for students at Adams State to be involved in a rural health care system," he said. "Students are applying what they learned in class to their internships."
"The actual work is way different than what I expected," Martin said. "Besides meetings and administrative duties there are events to be planned and the financial budget to consider."
According to the Association of University Programs in Health Administration, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reported medical and health services managers earned an average annual salary of $81,160 in 2006.
"We were assigned various projects to help Suzanne Devore," Maes said. "I appreciate experiencing what health care administration is all about and finding out what I will be doing professionally."
"Andrea and Tanya contributed their efforts on a variety of projects here at Valley-Wide Health Systems," DeVore said. "They provided the fresh perspective of newcomers to the field of health care and they showed enthusiasm upon recognizing some of the topics from their class work in the real world of patients, providers, diagnosis codes and procedures."
The students worked with the Women's Infants and Children (WIC) Program and Bright Beginnings. "I had the opportunity to design a pamphlet to promote the programs," Maes said.
Both students said the experience will increase their chances of finding a job in their chosen field after graduation. "Many job openings require one to two years experience in the profession," Martin said. "This internship will look good on my resume."
Health administration is one of the college's newest programs. "We have forty students enrolled for the spring semester," Vallone said. "Gigi Darricades, Adams State Board of Trustees member, will teach a health law and ethics class in the spring."
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By Linda Relyea
