Life in the Cave

Gone are the days of interns fetching coffee, filing papers and stapling for hours.  As any Summer Associate knows, internships at companies like UPMC are coveted positions of which we prepare ourselves for up to a year in advance by seeking out the most desirable programs, stalking HR representatives and rewriting our resumes to the point of perfection. Most of my expectations were met as I look back on the program: involvement in big and important projects, corporate events, dress codes, networking events and more.

However, one aspect I never saw coming was sitting in a square formation with 11 strangers staring at one another into a medium sized conference room with no windows.  Fondly labeled as “The Cave” or “the S.A.C.,” (Summer Associates Cave), we Marketing/Communications Summer Associates quickly got to know each other very, very well.  It would be misleading to say that this was not a challenging arrangement for everyone, but it was a situation that was clearly an invaluable preparation for any professional working environment.

For some reason, people in the office seem to have the impression that The Cave is a quiet place.  This is likely due to our innate ability to stop mid argument or laughing fit, whenever anyone other than a Summer Associate walks in.  Little do they know, they probably missed by seconds a heated argument about the Royal baby, a flying stress-ball or everyone reduced to tears of laughter from our witty dialogue.  I’m not exaggerating when I say, we all know everything about each other.  We should probably make a pact, in case anyone ever wants to run for office someday.

The Cave is our war room.  It’s a place of solidarity and teamwork, where we celebrate each other’s wins and challenge each other’s losses.  And it’s not like we all love each other, but the atmosphere became one where we couldn’t help but be there for each other.  Everything took place against a backdrop of ambition, perfectionism, and dedication.

The Cave experience was invaluable.  It was full of those intangible lessons that at the time are annoying and frustrating but in retrospect were the highlight of the summer.  There probably isn’t a single work experience we couldn’t handle.  In a lot of ways we were legitimately like puppies.  We honestly had to watch our group sugar consumption so we didn’t get too wound up, and we poked and prodded at one another to no end.  We learned to love it, we got sick of it and each other, but ultimately we were made better for it.  And while The Cave helped us in a larger, professional sense, it truly fostered lifelong friendships.  My fellow Cave-mates inspire, motivate, infuriate and comfort me and I will miss them all very much.  So here’s to the cave life!

By Anne Merrick, Summer Associate

Networking at UPMC

As a Summer Associate at UPMC, it is important to work hard individually and complete meaningful projects as well as develop relationships with your colleagues. Campus Programs set up multiple opportunities for interns to converse with top executives of many departments such as finance, human resources, IT, and marketing. Examples of these exposure opportunities include the Pirates game and Executive Spotlight events. The Pirates game allows summer associates and executives to meet in a fun and casual setting. It is a great time to come together with your fellow interns and co-workers while cheering on the Buccos, and it provides the chance for questions you may have to be answered by executives who were in your position at one point in their career. Parallel, the Executive Spotlight events showcase leaders across a variety of divisions, which allow you to learn more about UPMC as a whole even though you are only interning for one aspect of the company. The series allows interns to ask questions and receive advice from senior management in the different departments.

Networking is important, and as an intern, it is crucial that you step out of your comfort zone in order to set up meetings with your colleagues. It can never hurt to send an email and ask to meet for a lunch date or coffee break. At UPMC, leaders of the various departments want to see you succeed and will meet with you, but cannot if you do not reach out to them! Once you have a meeting time decided, do your “homework” and be prepared with a  few questions you may have for your colleague after researching his/her particular job or department. This shows initiative that you take an interest in the company and want to learn as much as possible in the short period of time that you are interning. In addition, it is important to take notes during your meeting because you are learning from someone who has more experience and knowledge. After your meeting, always make sure to send a follow-up thank you, for that person did not have to meet with you, but chose to.

At UPMC, I made it a personal goal to network with as many executives and employees as possible. I have learned so much from my different meetings, whether with a CFO, manager of a division, or leader in the HR department. Networking provides you opportunities to not only learn something new every day but also to develop relationships that may become valuable in your future career. UPMC executives are leaders of the company and the top leaders in the region; and I am grateful for all of the meetings that I have had during my time as a summer associate.

By Trevor Colvin, Summer Associate

Volunteering at Children’s Hospital and the Summer Carnival

One great aspect of the Summer Associates Program is all of the volunteering opportunities that are available.  There are service events for all UPMC summer associates together across each of the corporate departments; ones organized between the finance management rotation associates (FMRs) and summer associates (SAs), and ones that are specific to only summer associates.

One Tuesday in July, the summer associates spent an afternoon working with kids at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC volunteering at their Summer Carnival.  We arrived early before it began so we could set up games, prizes, and a photo booth in the atrium where the kids could come and have an enjoyable afternoon.  It was a wonderful experience to see the children laughing and smiling with their parents and siblings, running around trying to play all the games and win prizes.  One of the favorite activities seemed to be throwing a whipped cream pie at a police officer.  A little girl walked over to me right after she finished, while still laughing, and asked if she could do it again.  There was also a magic show where kids could come to sit down and relax while they enjoyed Rita’s Italian Ice.  A volunteer even brought around boxes of candy to inpatient rooms where children who were too sick to come downstairs were at, so they could still be a part of the special day.  We stayed afterwards to clean and help put the carnival decorations and games back into storage.

The volunteer events, that peer-elected service chairs work so hard to organize, are a great aspect to the Summer Associates Program at UPMC.  Throughout college, many of us have been involved with countless service activities.  This was a way for us to continue to giving back, but also meet people from the different divisions of the hospitals and catch up with other SAs at different locations.

By  Sammi Layo, Summer Associate

Surviving and Thriving as a Summer Associate

For those of you lucky enough to be in the next wave of summer associates, get ready: you’re about to embark on an exciting, meaningful, eye-opening, and often overwhelming summer at UPMC. You’re going to learn more than you probably thought possible—about your specific department, UPMC as a whole, and the corporate world at large. You’re going to discover what areas suit you and which just aren’t your style. And while your experience will undoubtedly be unique, I hope my time at UPMC can help prepare you for yours. So, from a veteran to the rookies, here is a brief guide to surviving and thriving as a summer associate:

1. First things first: if you’re working in the Steel building, prepare to be outsmarted by the elevators. Many of you are probably wondering, how did a girl who gets befuddled by elevators land an internship at UPMC? Trust me, I’m not the only one. This may not make sense now, but remember this for your first day: look for the hand sanitizer; if you can see it from your elevator on the first floor, turn left when you get upstairs; if you don’t see it, turn right. Plenty of us have turned out of the elevator only to walk toward doors that don’t actually open. And elevator doors close slowly, so anyone still on the elevator will see you turn around and walk to the correct doors.

2. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. You won’t know everything coming into this program, and no one expects you to. Everyone I’ve met here is incredibly friendly and happy to help when you’re feeling lost, so never feel like you can’t seek them out for guidance.

3. Take advantage of all the networking opportunities this internship provides. You’ll have several opportunities to meet managers, directors, and executives throughout your summer at UPMC. You never want to force networking, but do take advantage of being able to get to know and learn from these people. Attend as many networking events as possible and ask questions whenever you get the chance.

4. I don’t want to play favorites, but as a former Marketing and Communications summer associate, I can’t help but offer some advice on spending a summer in the cave. That’s right future Marketing and Communications interns, you’ll be spending your summer in what’s been deemed the cave. To paint a picture, this summer there are 12 of us in a small conference room. Almost any time a manager enters the cave they note how quiet we are, and I’m still not really sure how it always works out this way.  When the door’s closed we’re usually turning the stress balls that are meant to calm us down into weapons that we launch at one another. Oh, and if anyone brings in something sugary for us, all bets are off. One day, three of us surprised the group with treats, and it was pandemonium. Given that we are, in fact, expected to get work done amidst all the chaos that is the cave, you probably won’t be surprised that I recommend bringing headphones for when you really need to focus or when, let’s face, the other associates are driving you crazy.

5. Don’t be glued to your cell phone. An executive recently told us he notices employees our age are constantly on their phones. Even though you may be checking your UPCM inbox, your managers don’t necessarily know or assume you’re being productive on your cell. Use it when you need to, but do be aware that when older generations see college kids on their cells phones there’s a good chance they assume you’re “twittering” or “facesnapbookchatting.”

6. Be open-minded. Many of you will come into this program thinking you know exactly what kind of work you want to do throughout this summer and beyond, but your goals and interests may change. Let them! Try new things. Say yes to assignments that weren’t on your radar. Shadow someone in a different department. The only way you’ll ever really know if you’re in the right position is if you try them all.

7. Every day from 2-3, pastries in the MyHealth café are only $1. Just sayin.

8. Always carry a pen and paper. You never want to be in the position where everyone else is taking notes and you’re awkwardly trying to figure out what to do with your hands or worse, having someone give you an assignment that you then forget because you didn’t write it down. Even if you’re just going to be talking to someone briefly, it’s always better to be over-prepared than under-prepared.

9. Get to know the other summer associates. You may be dreaming of rubbing elbows with all the impressive managers and executives you’ll be meeting, but your fellow summer associates are impressive, too! I’ve learned so much from the wonderful, talented interns I’m lucky enough to work with, and you will, too.

10. Have fun! So cliché, I know, but in the end are you really going to remember that Excel sheet you put together, or are you going to look back on this summer and remember the overall feel of it? Work hard, of course, but stay sane, too. Besides, if you’re not enjoying your time at UPMC, chances are you aren’t putting out your best work.

I hope these tips help you make the most of your summer at UPMC!

By Molly Skubak, Summer Associate

Life in Supply Chain

As a supply chain intern, I was fortunate enough to have a much different work environment than everyone else. Every day I reported to the Consolidated Service Center (CSC), or UPMC’s main warehouse. I spent a lot of my time working in the warehouse instead of at my desk. The environment is much different from an office setting. It is loud, hectic, and lively. The moment you step into the warehouse you will notice over 4,000 products on blue and yellow rafters. You will hear music playing, sometimes N*SYNC or Michael Jackson, machines beeping, and people talking. You can never stand still too long because you may get run over by a cart packed full of boxes.  When you start walking around you will see huge forklifts lifting products onto shelves, people loading and unloading trucks, and people picking all the orders. It is very interesting to work here because there is never a dull moment inside the CSC. 

By Jessica Molenda, Summer Associate

 

HR in a Hospital

I was lucky enough to spend my summer as a Human Resources Summer Associate at UPMC St. Margaret.  Because I interned for the Human Resources department in a hospital, I have been able to work on a variety of projects and assignments throughout Employee Relations and Talent Acquisition.

I have been challenged and motivated by the individuals in my department to perform at my highest capabilities, embrace every opportunity that the Summer Associates Program offers, and network with anyone I meet.  I never thought I would be involved in a program where the managers and mentors are so invested in their interns, and that has been a truly amazing experience.  The culture and environment are what make me excited to come to work every week, and I do not think many interns outside of UPMC can say that.

Being in a business unit has been a really interesting experience for me.  Not only am I getting exposure into my field of interest, Human Resources, but I am also witnessing, first-hand, the purpose of UPMC and why we are all here.  It makes everything feel so real when you walk out of your office to deliver a document to your manager and a patient in their hospital gown is being pushed by you in a hospital bed.

I also witnessed the community of St. Margaret by being involved in the ACES Employee Recognition Program.  ACES are awarded to less than half of 1% of employees throughout all of UPMC.  From being involved in the nominations, voting, and prize patrols, it has been amazing to see how proud managers and team members are of their recipients and the work they do.  Being at St. Margaret has kept me grounded in the fact that even though I am sitting at a desk with paperwork and a computer in front of me, I am still here for the patients.  What I am doing these 11 weeks this summer really matters.

By Jenna Hailstone, Summer Associate

 

 

SA Program: An Opportunity for Success

The Summer Associate program at UPMC is a program that will set you up for success!  I worked in Hospital Division Accounting as a Finance Summer Associate, and I loved every second of it!  Throughout the summer I was given so many amazing opportunities I’m sure I wouldn’t have had otherwise.  I worked on many great projects that were challenging but awesome at the same time. 

Some of the great projects I completed include deposit verification and change fund audits for Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC, reconciling the PHEAA grants for the schools of nursing, closing the books for the Monroeville Specialty Clinic during year end, and the related party and joint venture footnote for FY13! I truly enjoyed working on and presenting every single one of them. It has made me even more excited to begin my career!

On top of working on amazing projects, I met so many wonderful people.  Just during my daily routines, I interacted with top executives who were just as thrilled to meet me as I was to meet them.  Every one of them encouraged me a little more than the next and offered any help they could.  We also were given great networking opportunities at events, such as a pirate game, two executive spotlight events, a picnic with the FMR’s, volunteer events, a fundraiser we helped put together, and we even had lunch with the CFO of UPMC!

Throughout the summer, I not only had a great time but I was able to see and feel what it will be like when I finish school and begin my career.  The Summer Associate program gives a real life preview of your career while teaching you how to excel once you get there.  You are given deadlines and held to them, you learn time management skills and their necessity, you are held accountable for the goals and projects you are assigned and have so much fun while you’re doing them!  UPMC views your 11 week internship as a trial period.

UPMC is trying you out while giving you the opportunity to try them out.  They strive to impress you just as much as you strive to impress them.  They are laying the groundwork for excellence through the Summer Associate Program, and it is up to you to make every second count and seize every opportunity they offer.  On a personal note, I can honestly say that I am very impressed with UPMC!

 

By Julie McCarthy, Summer Associate

A Valuable Experience

This fall I will begin my senior year majoring in Health Policy and Administration at Penn State. I will also begin my graduate classes for a Masters in Health Administration. My experience this summer interning at UPMC in the Donald D. Wolff, Jr. Center for Quality, Safety and Innovation has been amazing.

By working in the Quality Department for the summer, I gained first-hand experience by observing different processes in hospital, doctors’ offices, and labs. I never truly understood the extremely complex processes of a large integrated healthcare delivery system until I was standing in one single unit shadowing one nurse.

Throughout the summer, I had the opportunity to complete many observations in UPMC hospitals, but my most memorable observation was in UPMC Mercy’s Clinical Decision Unit. I shadowed a nurse for only four hours, and I immediately realized the significant amount of complicated and stressful situations that health care professionals face every single day. To have the opportunity to shadow a nurse, gave me the greatest experience I could have asked for. I learned that to be successful in implementing change, you must complete observations and see first-hand what it is like to work in a certain area. By observing in many different hospitals, labs and doctors’ offices, I better understand the challenges an integrated healthcare delivery system faces.  By interning at UPMC for the summer, I truly gained incredible experiences that will help me to succeed in my future career.

By Meredith Borst, Summer Associate

Facing a Challenge and Making It a Success

 

When I began networking with UPMC recruiters, I learned that I would be challenged every day during the Summer Associate program. Each year, Human Resources Campus Recruitment makes sure that the managers will provide challenging and meaningful projects and tasks that would truly help the interns learn and develop new skills. How does that not sound appealing? This was one of the first things about UPMC’s Summer Associate program that really grabbed my interest.

My internship this summer was in the Internal Audit department within Corporate Services. Upon the first week, I immediately received projects to work on. No matter where you are, there will always be a transitioning period. You have to learn the specifics and develop skills for the projects at-hand.  My peers were very helpful in answering any questions I might have had. This made the learning process much quicker. It is also very exciting to start developing new skills and to think outside-the-box.

One of the first projects I received was a project that my coworker has been analyzing and organizing manually for over a year. Granted, this was not a project which he was allowed much time. However, I was faced with a challenge. How could I make this project more efficient for future use? After doing it manually, I knew what I needed to do. I spent time Googling how to use Microsoft Excel macros. A macro is lines of code written in Microsoft Visual Basic that can create a whole program within an Excel file to pretty much do whatever you want. In this case, since I don’t have much knowledge in programming, I learned what I needed to do for this project. I taught myself how to cater previously existing line of code to the project I was working on. This macro now completes the process of pulling data and organizing in seconds compared to manually organizing it for several hours. My coworker greatly appreciated the work I did and was rather impressed. He wanted to make sure he gave me credit. He then proceeded to email my Director on what I have done. She then replied with great praise and complimenting me on making an impact on the department. As a result of this success, I was also able to use this macro on another file and a fellow coworker asked to use it for one of his projects.

Upon this experience, it shows how important it is to learn skills on your own and then share them with others. This not only builds teamwork, but also leadership. Learning and then teaching your colleagues represents yourself as a person who not only goes above and beyond the normal duty, but as a person who strives to make the people around his or her colleagues stronger in order to work towards a common goal. To put it shortly, take a challenge and learn how to overcome it, because you could not only better yourself but also the people around you. My advice is to ask for more work and continue to be challenged. Otherwise, you will not learn nearly as much as you can. I am still trying to adhere to this. I believe it is one of the best ways to develop skills and professionalism. I can carry these attributes for years to come, and as a result of working at UPMC this summer, those years are looking quite bright.

By Colin Zlotnicki, Summer Associate

UPMC Warehouse Voice Picks Technology

During the first week of my internship at UPMC, I had the opportunity to work at the Consolidated Service Center in Warrendale, PA.  In an effort to move towards a more standardized barcoding system, my manager assigned me to an audit to determine the various types of barcodes UPMC’s suppliers use.

I was introduced to a high-tech voice order picking system, named Jennifer, an artificial intelligence that issues voice commands to speak to the warehouse pickers.

The way this system worked was very streamlined. Orders come into PeopleSoft Inventory Management system due to either low stock on a hospital shelf or a hospital employee requesting an item from the warehouse. These orders are then distributed automatically to the individual warehouse pickers.

This is where Jennifer takes over. She issues specific location commands to each warehouse picker, who is wearing a wireless headset, and finds the location of the item to bring it to the appropriate outbound bay for shipping. The complicated aspect of all of this is that Jennifer is issuing multiple commands at the same time to multiple pickers in a way that is efficient on foot for each picker with respect to the warehouse layout. This eliminates the need for warehouse pickers to walk back and forth from one end of the warehouse to the other in search of items scattered across the warehouse with no logical order. The Inventory Management system is working in the background during all of the daily warehouse operations and is fully integrated into UPMC’s Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, Oracle.

Why use such a system for order picking instead of a paper-based system or a lower-tech barcode scanning system? The voice picking system allows for a warehouse picker’s two hands to be completely free instead of having to carry around a barcode scanner. This system also allows for much greater accuracy and increased efficiency.  The picker verbally confirms a specific location confirmation code to ensure they are at the correct pick location and that orders are quickly distributed electronically to multiple pickers at the same time in an optimal pick path. Pickers can also audibly request shipping labels to print on the spot for shipments leaving the facility. Metrics are collected in the Inventory Management system that measure picker fill rate, out of stock percentages, hospital and department request volume, and can assist with optimal item shelf placement. Voice picking systems are something I learned about in class and now, at UPMC, have had the opportunity to experience this incredible technology firsthand. Jennifer VoicePlus is developed by Lucas Systems Inc., a Pittsburgh based company.

By Jonathan Kreps, Summer Associate