Could Informal ‘Interns’ Ease the Burden on Your Team While Raising Your Profile?

Mercer Health may have hit on the value of a practice that is pretty common in nonclinical businesses: summer interns. These are not “interns” in the usual medical setting sense, but college students looking for opportunities to learn about a work environment while still undergraduates. In Mercer’s case, they’re also kids who are planning to apply to medical school eventually and want to round out their resumes with practical experiences that indicate their commitment to studying medicine. As noted on the company’s website, the students work with a variety of physicians in different settings within the system to help them make informed decisions down the road. While that’s the extent of the Mercer program, it stands to reason that students interested in working in urgent care and other practice settings in nonclinical roles could benefit from the experience while also lightening the load on your staff. Survey your communities to see what local colleges might be open to such a collaboration.