This is a guest blog by Kelsey Fuqua, a student at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC). She was a human resources intern with Providence Health Care in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, IN.
Providence Health Care (PHC) at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods is sponsored by the Sisters of Providence and is located on the grounds of the Sisters of Providence motherhouse in Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, IN. PHC was established in 2002 and initially served as a health care facility devoted entirely to ill or infirm Sisters of Providence.
In 2012, PHC opened to patients from the public in addition to Sisters of Providence. They offer inpatient and outpatient physical, occupational, speech and aquatic therapy in which is all provided by their warm and caring round-the-clock-skilled nursing staff.
PHC employs nearly 120 people. For an organization like PHC, they are rooted in the values and mission of the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods who strive to spread love, mercy and justice in the world. PHC offers holistic care to each of their patients, caring not just for their patientâs physical well-being, but for their emotional and spiritual well-being.
I was not sure what to expect when I began at Providence Health Care. From the start, my supervisor sat down with me and we laid out what I wanted to learn and accomplish. At the time, the list seemed long and somewhat scary, but now looking at it makes me feel victorious for completing all those tasks. On the list we stated that I would learn techniques of interviewing and recruiting, payroll, orientation of new hires, laws and regulations for human resources in health care facilities, developing policies for the handbook and daily functions of a human resources director. I can proudly say my supervisor not only showed me all of these tasks but also let me develop and implement these tasks.
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“While my time there was short, I learned so much, not only about my career path, but about the person I truly am.”
— Kelsey Fuqua__________________________________
On top of the items listed above, I drafted a possible new policy for the annual budget that will save the company a substantial amount of money each year. The policy will be taken to the board of directors for discussion at the time of the budget meeting. I created a PowerPoint presentation that is now used in the new hire orientation to explain emergency preparedness. I also reformatted the daily morning meeting data sheet and the application packet. Through these tasks I learned that the human resources field is a very complicated and broad, but every bit of it excites me and draws me in to want to learn more.
In my time spent at PHC, I have grown personally and professionally. I have become more confident and open with those around me and I have developed a stronger desire to work with and for people. At the start of the internship I still wasnât sure if human resources was the right field for me. This experience confirmed that human resources is right where I need to be. One of the reasons this internship was beneficial was because it was a hands-on experience and I worked with a great supervisor. While my time there was short, I learned so much, not only about my career path, but about the person I truly am.
