Vic Management Interns' blog

Blog posts by Victorian Management Interns of the Australasian College of Health Service Management. Views are those of the individual authors and not those of ACHSM or management interns’ host organisations or employers.


Tais Lildaree
Tais Lildaree

Health Management Interns, ACHSM

Insights from a Victorian Health Management Intern

Author: Angeline Kuek

Date: March 15, 2016

Hi, my name is Angeline and I commenced the Health Management Internship Program in 2016. Before commencing the program, I was completing a Master of Public Health and I have previously worked in Singapore and South Australia in eating disorders and mental health research.

I am currently doing my first placement at Barwon Health with the Health Innovation and Projects Office (HIPO) and am involved with various projects such as reducing length of stays and reviewing hospital programs and policies.

As HIPO is involved in a number of pieces of work across Barwon Health, I initially found it challenging as I was unfamiliar with the programs and systems across the organisation. Being new to Barwon Health, I also had to accept the fact that I did not know everything, and that this was okay, and this was something I originally struggled with as I usually have very high expectations of myself.

However, I was able to overcome these challenges by talking to my colleagues, the other ACHSM interns, my preceptor, mentor, and my friends and my family, all of whom have been incredibly supportive and encouraging. Throughout those weeks, I also learnt more about myself and discovered strengths that I previously did not realise that I possessed.

Although it has been a challenge, being an ACHSM intern has been an invaluable experience. Besides gaining and developing project management skills that can be transferable across industries, I have also accumulated a vast amount of knowledge which would be highly relevant for my future career in the health sector.

The professional development events run by the College such as the breakfast forums, professional development days and the Emerging Health Managers seminars have been extremely valuable in furthering my learning.

I was also given the chance to attend professional development sessions within Barwon Health, and that has been very useful in helping me to develop the ACHSM Management Competencies.

I was also extremely lucky to have been given the opportunity to attend a two-day workshop about process improvement in health conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services. Additionally, as part of the program, I am also completing a Master of Health Administration, which is highly relevant for my work.

Thus, I feel that I have already gained a lot from the program, both professionally and personally. I look forward to learning more about the health industry and gaining even more experiences throughout the next two years.



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