The Best Internship, Ever: Social Media Meets Health Care

Tasha Edwards

As the Social Media Intern at Henry Ford Health System, I had the opportunity of working in the two areas I love, new media and healthcare. The internship of my dreams. Sadly, the internship has come to an end, but the memories will last forever. The fact that I was able to practice exactly what I thought was my dream career, in and of itself, made for a great internship. Interning within the Marketing/Web Services Department, I was able to learn so much about marketing and internet marketing in the hospital environment. It was truly a great educational and professional development experience.

My internship preceptors were excellent at assigning me projects that they thought would be beneficial, as well as allowing me to develop my own assignments to hone my social media skills. All of the  individuals that I worked with in Marketing, Public Relations, and Communications were very hardworking, uplifting, and team oriented. As many people know, coworkers are just as important in overall job satisfaction as the actual work itself. (Side note: They even helped me the day my car was towed when I went to the dentist downtown on my lunch break. Life savers.)

Some people my say, “Oh, you interned in social media? So, you created a Facebook page. LOL.”

And to those people I say, “I am so happy you think that way. Here’s my card. You can call me in the future when the competition is passing you, because you do not understand the power of social media.”

Seriously, social media in the corporate environment is marketing, social responsibility, public relations, health communication and so much more. (Just check how many twitter accounts the CDC has created.) Practicing social media in health care is writing marketing strategies, developing communication plans, creating innovative campaigns, and pioneering Public Health Internet Applications. And if it is done correctly, a solid social media strategy can serve as a serious point of differentiation.

I love that I had the chance to intern in an area that joined social media and health care. They are two areas that bring me so much joy. I never feel as though I am working when the two come together.  Harnessing the power of social media for the good of Public Health, and health care in general, is now my solidified career goal. That is why my Henry Ford Health System Social Media intern experience was the best internship ever!

One Ford Place

5 Tips to Landing a Great Internship

Tasha Edwards

Let’s start by saying, I look nothing like this picture. I will post a picture of my current self below. My, how things have changed in a year. On to the point of this post, my internship. In the fall, I will be second year Master’s degree student at the School of Public Health in the department of Health Management and Policy. I believe that it is a requirement in all the Master’s degree programs to complete an internship between the first and second year of study. My internship is at Henry Ford Health System in the Web Services. The main component of my work in the development and implementations of social media strategies.

I am so lucky to have received this internship, because it is very fitted to goals and talents. The department of web services sits inside of Marketing and alongside Corporate Planning, Public Relations, Communications, and Media Resources. I live for this stuff! I feel that every project I am a part of or take charge of is helping me to hone my skills to be successful in the future. Awesome, right? I know!

So, how do you get an internship as great as mine? Here are 5 quick tips.

1. Speak up about your interest, experience, and goals. You never know who’s listening, who they know, or what they can offer you.
2. Be professional in your work, study, classes, and extracurricular activities. I am not saying you need to wear a suit everyday, but look presentable. Employers and alumni visit the school for interviews, recruitment, and workshops on a regular basis.
3. Do not procrastinate on deadlines, interviews, emails, etc. Someone else could just be waiting to take your place.
4. Have an idea about the type of internship that would best fulfill you or the place you would like to be live. If you don’t know, then no one else will.
5. Follow up with potential employers. Like I stated previously, you are not the only student trying to obtain an internship, so you have to make an effort to stay at the top of the list.

I really hope these tips helped. This is how I got my awesome internship, and hopefully you will have a similar story to tell.