Interning at Mercy Health

By Abigail Winternitz
My time at Mercy Health has been one of the best – and one of the most useful – experiences of my life. I never imagined that I’d be able to work for the largest healthcare system in Ohio, and it has certainly helped to point me in the direction of my ideal career when I graduate. The people at Mercy Health don’t just have a job – they have a purpose. It’s been truly inspiring to be around people who are passionate about what they do. Mercy Health’s motto is “This Is What We Were Meant to Do,” and its employees take this message to heart.
 
The tasks I completed included helping update the Branding, Marketing and Communications page and the glossary of Mercy Health terms and nomenclature, media tracking and filtering, media release writing, sending and posting across channels, attending branding architecture interviews, assisting with social media post creation, photography and filming events, assisting with Weekly newsletter writing and editing, maintaining Constant Contact and attending Communications Team meetings.
 
I’ve learned so much from this internship – not only through the work I was completing, but through working in this kind of environment. If I was going to give advice to another intern, here’s what I would say:
 

• Manage your time well: In my internship, there were days when I had no new assignments, and there were days (more often than not) that I had way, WAY too many new assignments. To stay calm and not panic, I learned to prioritize my assignments and to map out my time accurately.
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions: I learned that my fellow co-workers and supervisors really did want me to succeed – and the wanted their assignments done right! So, I got a lot better at asking for help if I didn’t understand something.
• Bring your AP Style Book: This was a life saver for me. I suppose those journalism classes did pay off after all.
• Own up to your mistakes: Unfortunately, in this type of job, it’s easy to make a mistake – whether it’s a typo in a press release, inaccurate information in research or a communications plan, or something else entirely. Most of the time, my work is looked over and approved before it gets sent out to the masses. However, sometimes things did slip through. When I made a mistake, I told my supervisor immediately. I learned that you want to get all mistakes cleared up as expeditiously as possible – even if it means suffering a little embarrassment.
• Enjoy your time as an intern: It went by way faster than I expected, so I would tell other interns to enjoy it while they can! Take some time to socialize with your co-workers and grab a cup of coffee -- It never hurts to make those connections.

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