What I learned from my internship at Methodist Healthcare Ministries

Having recently graduated from high school, I embarked on a new journey working as an intern with Methodist Healthcare Ministries through SA Works, an internship program that connects students with some of the top companies in San Antonio. I had the honor of working with the human resources department and experience what it is like working alongside professionals. As soon as I was hired, I realized joining Methodist Healthcare Ministries would help me evolve my skills, and prepare me for entering the workforce.

On the first day of my internship, I was given a list of goals. My biggest assignment was to gather video footage that would be used to create a video that highlighted the SA Works program at Methodist Healthcare Ministries. I was tasked to record interviews of all 11 interns detailing their internship experience. It was the first time a video of the sort was created for Methodist Healthcare Ministries. I interviewed the interns, recorded the footage and also took pictures of the interns working. There was so much to learn. Throughout the project, I gained more and more experience and understood key points of human resources, such as employee relations, scheduling, organization skills, interviewing and interpersonal skills.

During my first week, I created an eight-week schedule to help me better my time management skills. I set reminders, coordinated schedules, set up meetings and scheduled interviews.

We attended professional development workshops about twice a week. They were a great way to interact with the other interns. The workshops offered fundamental learning about leadership, our community and teamwork. One of the workshops, “Leadership 101,” went over key traits of being a leader. We began by reading quotes from notable leaders and then participated in activities that revealed our strengths. I learned there is no definite definition of a leader; a leader could be anyone who puts in the effort. From this experience, I think being a leader means being there for your team and participating while also guiding.

I want to thank my co-workers and managers for welcoming and guiding me. I loved how cooperative everyone was. Working with the human resources department helped me understand collaboration and the value of teamwork. I chose to work at Methodist Healthcare Ministries because of the face-to-face experience. I liked that I wasn’t just ‘behind the scenes.’ I actually had the chance to engage with professionals and feel like I was a part of the team. I enjoyed my internship at Methodist Healthcare Ministries, I learned a lot, and they had so much to offer.

Moving forward, I’d like to continue my education and become a registered nurse. During my visits to Wesley Health & Wellness Center, I was able to see registered nurses working with patients. After seeing those nurses, and even after learning more about the Wesley Nurse program, this internship reaffirmed my desire to work in health care so that I can one day develop a great bond with the patients I would serve.