Internship Journals: Healthcare Internship Experience and Analysis

This assignment comprises two detailed journal entries documenting a student's internship experience at Caring Hands Healthcare Inc., a non-profit organization serving uninsured individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The first journal entry focuses on the initial three weeks, detailing activities related to clinical services, patient engagement, health education, and transportation. The second journal, covering the subsequent four weeks, centers on policy review, evaluation of healthcare staff characteristics, and adherence to regulations. The internship activities are analyzed to demonstrate the student's growth in managerial competencies, including leadership, ethical compliance, patient understanding, and communication skills. The journals highlight the student's learning and development in various aspects of healthcare management.

Running head: INTERNSHIP JOURNALS
INTERNSHIP JOURNALS
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

1INTERNSHIP JOURNALS
Executive Summary
The following report details the various activities undertaken during internship at Caring Hands
Healthcare Inc, a non-profit organization catering to the healthcare needs of uninsured
individuals and families. The first journal entry focuses on the internship activities performed
during the first three weeks which was associated with clinical services, patient activities, health
education and transportation. The second journal focuses on internship activities undertaken in
the next 4 weeks, which involved policy reviewing and evaluation of healthcare staff
characteristics. To conclude, this internship successfully improved by managerial skills of
leadership of legal compliance.

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Table of Contents
Introduction..........................................................................................................................3
Discussion............................................................................................................................3
Journal 1 (As designed by the Author)............................................................................3
Journal 2 (As designed by the Author)............................................................................6
Concluding Statements: Growth and Learning....................................................................9
References..........................................................................................................................11

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Introduction
My internship experience is currently associated with Caring Hands Healthcare Inc.
Caring Hands Healthcare strives to cater to the needs of uninsured adults, with developmental
and intellectual disabilities in order to assist them in achieving vocational, educational and
residential independence (Caring Hands Healthcare Centers, 2019). The following report outlines
detailed journal entries on the various activities undertaken during my internship at Caring
Hands Healthcare Centers Inc (CHHC).
Discussion
Journal 1 (As designed by the Author)
During the first three weeks of my internship, my activities revolved extensively around
the various clinical services and patient activity requirements provided by CHHC.
Internship Week
(12 hours per
week)
Internship Activity Rationale
Week 1 A. Day 1, 2, 3 and 4: Understanding
the various Clinical Services
provided by CHHC, through
observation of staff functioning
and reviewing of assessment tools.
The clinical services which were
observed included behavioral
A. Adults as well as the
elderly with
developmental and
intellectual disabilities
are susceptible to
acquiring chronic
diseases which may

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health, telepsychiatry, preventive
care and chronic diseases.
B. Day 5, 6 and 7: After detailed
understanding of the above, case
management services provided by
the CHHC was reviewed in order
to gain an in depth insight into the
patient disease conditions catered
to by the organization. Patient case
files were reviewed in the process.
result in detrimental
quality of life. Hence,
understanding patient
conditions is essential
prior to treatment plan
formulation (Heijmans
et al., 2015). CHHC
focuses on the
principles of affordable
healthcare and hence,
uninsured individuals
require subsidized,
care services, due to
their increased
difficulty in acquiring
good quality clinical
services (Caring Hands
Healthcare Centers,
2019).
B. Patient case files
provide key details on
the various clinical
needs of the patient

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and hence, based on
unique disease,
demographic and
medical conditions
(Smith et al., 2016).
Week 2 A. Days 1, 2, 3 and 4: Assistance
was provided to the staff in
obtaining required referral
services to the patients, using
telephonic conversations,
documentation and adherence to
privacy.
B. Days 5, 6 and 7: Health
educational services were
performed where the intern
collaboratively worked with the
dissemination of nutritional and
diabetic information to patients.
Assistance was provided in patient
meal planning activities and
patient transportation.
A. Referral services are
required during dual
diagnosis where
patients require
additional
interdisciplinary care
beyond the scope of
the organization.
However, patient
consent must be
obtained, privacy must
be maintained and
assistance provided in
communicating patient
needs to the referral
(Buja et al., 2015).
B. Health education on
adequate nutritional

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principles is essential
to enlighten patients on
the need to adhere to a
balanced diet.
Nutritious meal
planning is essential to
ensure sound patient
nutritional status
(Parekh et al., 2015).
Patients with
developmental and
intellectual disabilities
may have impaired
motor coordination
skills for which
assistance is required
(Stancliffe &
Anderson, 2017).
Week 3 A. Days 1, 2, 3 and 4: Designing and
assisting patients with
developmental and intellectual
disabilities to take part in creative
arts activities such as painting,
A. Individuals with
developmental and
intellectual disabilities
encounter difficulties
in expression. Creative

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drama and music.
B. Days 5, 6 and 7: Assisting
patients in mobility, outdoor
activities and transportation.
arts allow them to
innovatively express
their emotions,
enhance their cognition
and encourage self-
empowerment (Robey
et al., 2018).
Journal 2 (As designed by the Author)
The next four weeks of my internship experience was concerned in the extensive
reviewing of organizational philosophies, goals, policies and adherence to local and federal
regulations. Staff training was also considered.
Internship Week Internship Activity Rationale
Week 4 Days 1 to 7: The healthcare
policies and procedures
adopted by the organization’s
sliding scale fees were
reviewed. Changes were
suggested in the form of
repealing or subsiding
preventive care costs.
In accordance to the federal
healthcare policies of PPACA
and local healthcare policies
of Medicaid Expansion,
healthcare organizations must
ensure free preventive care
services in the form of disease
screening and assessment, to
the patients, in order to ensure
that healthcare is affordable to

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every individual irrespective
of income (Sommers et al.,
2015).
Week 5 Days 1 to 7: Human rights
policies were reviewed
concerning staffing ratio,
attendance and employee
discipline. Changes were
suggested concerning
increasing the client-worker
ratio and adoption of
resilience strategies to
encourage workplace safety
and sound worker mental
health.
A larger number of workers in
comparison to the patients is
essential to combat workload
and high demands of
healthcare services during
increased patient flow (Neuraz
et al., 2015). In accordance to
the Occupational Safety and
Health Administration
(OSHA) workers have the
right to work in a safe, injury
free environment. Hence,
injuries due to violence by
aggressive patients must be
considered by an organization
(Fagan & Hodgson, 2017).
Further, organizational
resilience training programs
help in combating worker
compassion fatigue, stress and

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burnout (Black, Balanos &
Whittaker, 2017).
Week 6 Days 1 to 7: Changes in
organizational healthcare
procedures were suggested in
terms of adoption of public
health assessment as per the
federal policy regulations of
the Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act
(PPACA).
In accordance to the PPACA,
healthcare organizations must
conduct public health
assessments, in addition to
patient care, to ensure
achievement of positive health
outcomes in the community
and national level (Frean,
Gruber & Sommers, 2017).
Week 7 Days 1 to 7: The suggested
changes to organizational
policies, public health
assessments and employee
resilience programs were
communicated to the staff in
the organization.
To ensure adequate
organizational functioning,
educating and training
employees on organizational
policies is essential which will
result in fulfillment of
organizational objectives
(Guay et al., 2016).
Enlightening workers and
organizations on worker rights
ensures employee
empowerment and workplace

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satisfaction (Gagné & Howard,
2016).
Growth and Learning related to Managerial Competencies
The conductance of the above internship activities, I was successfully able to learn,
develop and enhance the growth of my exiting personal and professional managerial
competencies, in the following ways:
 The conductance of appropriate leadership qualities is essential to ensure worker
satisfaction and a positive occupational environment (Choi et al., 2016). Hence, through
weeks 4, 5, 6 and 7, I successfully developed my professional managerial leadership
qualities by communicating and encouraging the staff on policy changes and patient
assessments.
 Further, as a manager, ensuring adherence to worker’s rights paves the way in
motivating workers to achieve organizational objectives (Mosley, 2017). Hence, weeks 4,
5, 6 and 7 helped me to achieve the same by communicating with the organizational
leaders on the importance of workplace safety, adherence to worker’ s rights and
administration of a resilience training program.
 Likewise, organizational competencies as per federal and local policies is essential to
ensure ethical practice (Prince & Davis, 2016). Hence, weeks 4, 5, 6 and 7 successfully
enhanced by managerial skills of leadership, employee empowerment and ethical and
legal compliance through activities of policy and human rights reviewing along with staff
training.

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 Understanding patient disease conditions and patient preferences are essential managerial
competencies pertaining to healthcare organizations (Herd et al., 2016). Hence, weeks 1,
2 and 3 helped to enhance my personal knowledge on patient disease conditions and the
need for appropriate healthcare.
 Working to improve one’s personal communication skills not only enhances interpersonal
relationships and understanding, but also promotes fulfillment of managerial objectives
of customer satisfaction (Oostinga, Giebels & Taylor, 2018). Hence, Weeks 1, 2 and 3
successfully improved my existing personal skills of patient communication and need for
empathetic, compassionate listening in order to improve understanding of patient needs
and preferences.
