Summer!
This summer, I spent time interning in Boston! I worked with the Accelerator team at Boston Children’s Hospital and was able to learn a lot about internal workings of a hospital. As someone hoping to work in healthcare someday, it was really eye-opening to see how designers fit into the landscape of a large hospital. I mainly worked with shaping experiences of the patients and their families– this was anywhere from reshaping the check-in process, to exploring the patient portal.
Given that this was my second summer in Boston, I found that a lot of the exploring I did was revisiting my favorite places. It was an interesting experience being able to navigate the city like a local and show people around. That being said, I had never missed Austin more than I did this summer. Living in a city that growing quickly– there’s always something new to see; but Boston being an older city, I found myself being taken to the same places. One thing I didn’t miss? The heat. Boston stayed an even 80 degrees most of the summer, with the exception of a couple “heatwave days” where it launched up to 90.
I loved getting to be in a city with such a rich history, not only in the area, but with the people as well– many of the people I met were born and raised in Massachusetts, making Boston their home and hometown. With the amount of change that the Boston population goes through, I was able to meet people in every career and hear stories of the amazing things they were pursuing. It made me a lot more excited for the post-grad life– seeing what was possible and the opportunities I may have.
I had a lot of fun working with my team at BCH too! They were extremely supportive and I loved being around people who genuinely cared about the patients they were affecting with their decisions. It was interesting to see how larger teams work in tandem with other departments. I learned that in healthcare specifically, teams can be pretty siloed off, so it’s important to communicate with multiple leads and make sure everyone’s on the same page. I had a great time getting to exercise those skills as well as presenting to multiple audiences within the department.
All in all, this summer was a good time, but it also came with a bittersweet ending. Knowing I was about to begin my senior year made this summer a lot more nerve wracking, but I’m glad I got to get an experience I will remember in the future. Now that I’m back, I can’t wait to get started and make this year count!