I was introduced to HSJ editor Alastair Mclellan on day 2, who promptly briefed me on the interview I was to carry out with an executive at $50 billion turnover health care provider Kaiser Permanente.
Day 3 began with a news team meeting in which members, myself included, were expected to bring ideas for publication to the table.
Despite the steep learning curve, I was immediately made to feel part of the news team, and was encouraged to participate in discussion on the publication’s focal areas of health care management and policy.
I was also encouraged to ask around for projects. My eventual niche involved researching the reconfiguration of health services in Greater London, particularly the impact of urgent care centres (UCCs): which A&Es they were attached to – or, in the case of North West London, which A&Es they were slated to replace - and their effect on demand.
Another benefit from being amongst the award-winning news team was hearing expert analysis as stories broke or were being developed, before it became news in the conventional sense. In addition to UCC, I also had the pleasure of deciphering an almighty list of acronyms (DH, CQC, CCG, NaPC, QIPP, NPfIT…) that are clearly never-ending.
Amongst myriad transferable skills, I also learned the thrills and pitfalls of investigative journalism: contacting press offices, for example, and how to successfully conduct interviews via email and telephone as well as face to face. Meanwhile, 3 essay-barren years of medical school had clearly ravaged my writing skills from their GCSE English peak, and they required an overhaul: how to go about writing an article in the first instance, and then how to tailor content to the target audience of a for-profit publication. Suffice it to say that seeing 2 articles published later in the year was worth it.
Another highlight was attending the Darzi's Fellows clinical leadership conference at The King's Fund, where Alastair chaired a fiery debate on the NHS and privatisation, which involved Ali Parsa, chief executive of Circle.
In the short-term, the insights gained from my time at HSJ have provided a boost whilst studying the intercalated Management BSc at Imperial. I imagine completing the internship after the BSc would provide added (though not necessarily better) perspective.
In the long-term, they may yet steer me towards a career in health management or policy, in tandem with the clinical medicine that I enjoy. Regardless, I think all medical students could benefit from more lateral exploration of NHS issues, which (at the time of writing) medical school curricula do not cater for.
The internship required initiative - lots of looking for things to do, as opposed to being told what to do - and as such is probably not for everyone. Disclaimer aside, I sincerely thank Alastair and the HSJ team, and Harpreet Sood and the Diagnosis team for the privilege, and can only recommend applying.
Friday, November 23, 2012
Friday, November 16, 2012
Internship at Bupa – Summer 2012 by Daniel Ketley, 5th Year Medical Student, University College London Medical School.
I began my placement at Bupa with a mixed sense of excitement and trepidation. Having entered medicine straight from school I had no experience of the corporate environment, and had no idea what to expect, or what I would be doing.
I was based at Willow House in Staines, where the people I worked alongside were incredibly friendly and accommodating. Within a few hours I felt part of the team and had been given my first task.
My first project was with the healthcare commissioning team. I was given a project brief and had to develop my approach to the task and plan my work accordingly. The task seemed daunting at first, however I realised that my training at medical school had equipped me with the skills I needed; I just needed to apply them in a slightly different context to what I was used to.
The project was immensely rewarding as I took the task from a project brief through to a completed document which was very satisfying. As a medical student I often offer opinions on what I would do if I were the doctor in a particular clinical case; in this instance I not only had to evaluate the options and offer an opinion, I had to take the process one step further and reach a decision for the report which was something I had not done before.
My second project was working alongside the policy development unit. In contrast to the first project where I worked independently, in this case I was part of an established team which brought its own challenges. I was able to learn an awful lot from the more experienced members of the team, whilst at the same time build and develop my own thinking and skill set.
My time at Bupa taught me a great deal about how healthcare in the UK is organised in both the private and public spheres, as well as the challenges facing healthcare commissioners in the future. I no longer see my time at Bupa as an internship, I think of it as an essential part of my medical degree. The skills and exposure it gave me I have taken back into the clinical environment and will use as a doctor later in my career.
I was based at Willow House in Staines, where the people I worked alongside were incredibly friendly and accommodating. Within a few hours I felt part of the team and had been given my first task.
My first project was with the healthcare commissioning team. I was given a project brief and had to develop my approach to the task and plan my work accordingly. The task seemed daunting at first, however I realised that my training at medical school had equipped me with the skills I needed; I just needed to apply them in a slightly different context to what I was used to.
The project was immensely rewarding as I took the task from a project brief through to a completed document which was very satisfying. As a medical student I often offer opinions on what I would do if I were the doctor in a particular clinical case; in this instance I not only had to evaluate the options and offer an opinion, I had to take the process one step further and reach a decision for the report which was something I had not done before.
My second project was working alongside the policy development unit. In contrast to the first project where I worked independently, in this case I was part of an established team which brought its own challenges. I was able to learn an awful lot from the more experienced members of the team, whilst at the same time build and develop my own thinking and skill set.
My time at Bupa taught me a great deal about how healthcare in the UK is organised in both the private and public spheres, as well as the challenges facing healthcare commissioners in the future. I no longer see my time at Bupa as an internship, I think of it as an essential part of my medical degree. The skills and exposure it gave me I have taken back into the clinical environment and will use as a doctor later in my career.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Internship at Patients Know Best, July 2012 by Tobi Isaac Obisanya, 4th Year Intercalating Medical Student at Imperial College London
During my 4 week internship at Patients Know Best, I learnt about and got involved in the raw process of starting and establishing a business; to summarize it quickly. But this was not just any business, this was one that was changing paradigms in the way patient care is done.
Working with Dr Al Ubaydli & the PKB team was inspiring, and I would say that I learnt three things from this placement.
One, you need to be passionate about what you do. Dr Al Ubaydli's passion for his work is his best asset because it is only through a true conviction in what you are doing that you will ever be able to get people to one invest in it and two for it to grow and become a sustainable organic organisation.
Two, it takes a good understanding and research of the market/environment in which you want to function to have an impact and carve out a legacy in it.
Three, it takes time to establish anything; a business, a well functional system or idea. Patience & continued belief in yourself & your idea is vital.
It is fair to say that aside from it being all about business, there were also important life lessons taken. I also assisted the companies CFO to create a tangible visual depiction of the companies vision & business plan using IT which was exciting and allowed me to add value to their efforts to raise capital. I completed the internship before beginning my intercalated year in Business and Healthcare Management at the Imperial Business School which I would highly recommend to all medical students.
My time at PKB has been invaluable and given me an edge even in the first 2 weeks of the course, as there were many aspects of business & healthcare I explored during my internship. Although interning at a still growing company can be a bit hectic and your role can be uncertain/undefined at times - it has been an invaluable experience to be a part of and to understanding how this pioneering company is doing the great work it is currently doing and building a bright future for patient care in the ever-changing NHS landscape.
Link to Patients Know Best website
Working with Dr Al Ubaydli & the PKB team was inspiring, and I would say that I learnt three things from this placement.
One, you need to be passionate about what you do. Dr Al Ubaydli's passion for his work is his best asset because it is only through a true conviction in what you are doing that you will ever be able to get people to one invest in it and two for it to grow and become a sustainable organic organisation.
Two, it takes a good understanding and research of the market/environment in which you want to function to have an impact and carve out a legacy in it.
Three, it takes time to establish anything; a business, a well functional system or idea. Patience & continued belief in yourself & your idea is vital.
It is fair to say that aside from it being all about business, there were also important life lessons taken. I also assisted the companies CFO to create a tangible visual depiction of the companies vision & business plan using IT which was exciting and allowed me to add value to their efforts to raise capital. I completed the internship before beginning my intercalated year in Business and Healthcare Management at the Imperial Business School which I would highly recommend to all medical students.
My time at PKB has been invaluable and given me an edge even in the first 2 weeks of the course, as there were many aspects of business & healthcare I explored during my internship. Although interning at a still growing company can be a bit hectic and your role can be uncertain/undefined at times - it has been an invaluable experience to be a part of and to understanding how this pioneering company is doing the great work it is currently doing and building a bright future for patient care in the ever-changing NHS landscape.
Link to Patients Know Best website
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)