By Caroline Woznicki
The MetroHealth System

When you think of a hospital, you might think of a place to go when you’re ill or hurt. You might envision doctors and nurses with stethoscopes ready to help. You might hear the sirens and imagine the flashing lights of an ambulance. But what about the other side, the business side of a hospital? Being an intern at The MetroHealth System, the only Level One trauma hospital in the Cleveland area, I wasn’t sure what to expect. What exactly would it mean to be a marketing and events intern for a public hospital? What exactly would I be doing? The last three months of interning at MetroHealth have opened my eyes to the importance of a public health care system.

Interning in the MetroHealth Marketing, Communications and Events Department, I have been exposed to a whole new world of health care. Behind the clinical staff is a team of individuals who work hard to promote their hospital with one common goal in mind: to help people. Events such as the MyMetroHealth, MyCommunity Family Day and the MetroHealth November Family Health Center’s one-year anniversary are intended to engage the community, but they also offer free health screenings to those who may not have access to a doctor. In addition, each month MetroHealth provides sponsorship monies to numerous charities and organizations. The MetroHealth System truly cares for the health needs of its patients and the community surrounding it.

The relationship between the clinical staff and the business staff reveals the importance of a perfect balance. The balance seen throughout my tenure as an intern is something I came to admire and carry into my own day-to-day activities. If anything, this internship afforded me the opportunity to witness balance in action and to commit to this practice in my own responsibilities, such as summer classes, other jobs, and relationships with friends and family. The MetroHealth System supports a balance internally between the clinical staff and business staff, but also a work-and-life balance that I intend to improve upon in my advancing professional career.

Caroline Woznicki is a senior at Cleveland State University, majoring in liberal arts and social sciences.