Summer Non-Clinical Internship - Patient and Family Experience

Seattle Children's has multiple summer internship openings available in a variety of non-clinical departments across the organization. Internships will be offered in a hybrid work format and will occur over a period of up to 10 weeks, beginning in June and ending in August. Interns will work up to 40 hours per week.

This is an exciting opportunity for students to engage in an inclusive, hands-on learning environment, grow their skills, and gain exposure to a diverse range of career areas at Seattle Children's. As part of this experience, interns will learn to work collaboratively as part of a team, take on substantive projects under the guidance of experienced mentors, cultivate professional networks with peers and leaders, and participate in a range of career development activities. At the conclusion of the internship, all students will prepare a final project for presentation at a formal convening attended by Seattle Children's staff and leaders.
 

Job Summary

This position is temporary and/or intermittent in nature.  Length of service is greater than 100 hours.  This will be hybrid work experience, requiring an in-person presence at the hospital or administrative offices approximately 3-4 days per week.

The Patient and Family Experience (PFX) team is part of Seattle Children’s People and Culture Division, whose mission is to champion a healthy culture, promote resilience, and build compassionate and inclusive spaces to create exceptional experience for our patients, families, and workforce.

PFX seeks an intern to assist across the above teams to (1) improve internal operations and service for our patients and families; (2) gain a foundational understanding of Seattle Children’s mission; and (3) develop technical skills including program management, project management, and event planning.

PFX partners with patients, families, and the entire workforce to build skills and resources, and provide direct and indirect support that foster equitable outcomes and long-lasting positive experiences for our entire community. The PFX accomplishes these goals by taking a holistic approach to improving patient, family and workforce experiences through a range of programming, including:  

• The Support Team is part of Adaptive Social Response, provides a number of direct services and support interventions for patients, families and staff, and manages complaints and grievances.

• The Spiritual Care Team is available 24 hours a day to provide respectful spiritual care and emotional support to patients, families, faculty and staff.

• Volunteer Services partners with departments across the hospital who want ongoing, reliable, and vetted volunteer support.

• Family Advisors are caregivers of patients who share their experiences to enhance safety, quality, and patient experience across programs, projects, and policy improvement efforts.

• The Family Resource Center (FRC) helps families with the basics, provides resources for their stay and ways to stay connected with home.

• The Experience Research and Design team is focused on applying state-of-the-science surveys, evidence-based research and Human-Centered Design methods to help Seattle Children's uncover actionable insights that help to deliver real changes and improve patient, family and workforce experience.

An ideal candidate brings dedication, creativity, and a passion for customer service. This role will provide meaningful exposure and skill development for those interested in exploring a potential career in patient/family engagement, health equity, and program/project management within the context of a large healthcare organization.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong written and verbal communication skills

• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work with staff, managers, physicians, and administrators

• Able to effectively problem-solve and handle moderately to highly complex problems/issues in standard or emergent situations, and to be innovative and creative

• Able to work with a diverse group of people in a fast-paced environment, often with frequent interruptions

• Able to remain highly organized, work independently, and prioritize work from multiple sources

• Able to participate as part of a team

• Able to quickly learn and utilize computer applications

• Able to work within deadlines and resource constraints

• Able to maintain confidentiality and use discretion

Additional Job Responsibilities and Accountabilities

• Provide program and project management support, including process improvement, data collection, and analysis on various topics related to patient and family experience and service excellence.

• Organize donation drives, assisting with inventory management, and front desk coverage tasks (welcome program calls, data entry, etc.).

• Participate in shadowing opportunities with the Support Team and Spiritual Care.  

• Support development of key deliverables such as creating dashboards to track how families utilize FRC programs.

• Support administrative tasks and operations within the Insight and Design and Volunteer Services teams.

• Prepare a final project for presentation at the end of the internship period.

• With manager support, develop internship learning goals and establish regular check-ins to discuss progress and identify learning opportunities.

Required Education and Experience

• Must be at least 18 years of age

• Rising senior or recent graduate from local college or technical school

• Strong desire to engage with Seattle Children’s employees, patients and families, and the community

• Strong desire to participate in mission-driven work that fosters equitable outcomes and reduces disparities

• Customer service experience, including hospitality, guest services, or concierge experience

• Experience with data collection, analysis, graphs, and statistics

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)

Compensation

$23.00 per hour

Salary Information

This compensation range was calculated based on full-time employment (2080 hours worked per calendar year). Offers are determined by multiple factors including equity, skills, experience, and expertise, and may vary within the range provided.