The Department of Health Policy and Management at the IU Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health has held three career outings this year for students in the health services management undergraduate program. These outings have given students an opportunity to explore various healthcare settings and learn more about possible health administration careers in those settings.
Students had a chance to visit Riverview Health in October, St. Vincent Hospital in November, and Miller’s Merry Manor in February. For one student, the visit to Miller’s surpassed her expectations and inspired her to apply for their Administrator-in-Training program.
“As a senior and current Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), long-term care has been a top career choice for me for a while now,” said current health services management student, Sabrina Wardwell, pictured above (right) with health services management student, Taylor Walters (left). “When the opportunity came to visit one of Miller’s locations here in Indianapolis, I was excited to attend and learn from current administrators and leaders about their experiences in the industry.”
Sabrina was one of twenty students to attend the outing, the majority of which were juniors and seniors gearing up for the full-time job search or the summer internship hunt.
“We were greeted warmly by a team of Miller’s leaders, including the location administrator, a regional manager, the retiring chief operations officer and the incoming chief operations officer,” she said.
During the outing, students learned about the organization’s history, mission and values, as well as the ins and outs of a career in long-term care.
“As each person spoke, it was clear that they were really passionate about what they do for a living,” Sabrina said. “They didn’t shy away from the challenges of the field, but they also emphasized the rewarding aspects of a career in this industry.”
Following the conversational portion of the outing, the students broke into smaller groups for tours of the Indianapolis East location.
“We toured the rehabilitation gym, greeted patients, walked the wings, chatted with employees in the memory care unit, and got a feel for the rhythm of the place.”
Sabrina is planning for a career as a long-term care administrator, and was particularly excited when the team told her about Miller’s Administrator-in-Training (AIT) program.
“This six-to-eight month program that prepares you for the role and the licensing exam is exactly what I want to do next,” she said. “I am excited to be considered for an on-campus interview at IUPUI in March for their next round of AIT recruitment. I am confident that my experience on this career outing has better prepared me for that upcoming interview and helped me solidify that long-term care is the right career path for me.”
The Department of Health Policy and Management is looking forward to their final career outing of the academic year in April, and is currently setting the schedule for next year. If you would like to host a group of students on an outing, reach out to Sarah Johnson at shm@iu.edu.
