Administrative Internship

Overview

The Massachusetts General Hospital provides an excellent learning environment for healthcare management students interested in careers in hospital leadership. Each summer, Mass General accepts a limited number of master’s degree students for administrative internship opportunities. Selected students gain exposure to the complex operations of a major academic medical center, become engaged in a mix of observational experiences and project-based work, and receive guidance and mentorship from experienced healthcare executives.

Administrative interns join a specific Mass General department for the summer and are precepted by an Administrative or Executive Director. Preceptors provide students with a broad range of learning opportunities depending on the priorities of the department, as well as the student’s professional interests. Sample activities include:

• Attending high-level management meetings
• Observing clinical care and speaking with caregivers or patients
• Developing process flow maps of current processes and making recommendations around improving processes
• Managing and analyzing data to inform department strategy
• Supporting the capital budget process and/or evaluating prospective products or vendors
• Attending grand rounds or other medical education lectures
• Reviewing and completing financial analyses and statements
• Assessing and summarizing new business opportunities
• Supporting accreditation applications and site visits
• Participating in clinical simulations and facility tours
• Meeting with senior leadership

Interns meet regularly with their preceptor(s) to discuss their progress. In addition, interns meet with each other and other preceptors to share information about their projects and discuss current trends, issues and opportunities in healthcare.

Please note that students that apply for and/or complete an administrative internship at Mass General are at neither an advantage or disadvantage if they later choose to apply to the post-graduate Administrative Fellowship Program. 

Departments that interns have worked with in the past include:

• Center for Diversity & Inclusion
• Center for Faculty Development
• Department of Medicine
• Department of Surgery, The Transplant Center
• Department of Pediatrics
• Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology
• Institute for Heart, Vascular, and Stroke Care
• MGH Charlestown Health Center
• MGH Research Institute
• MGH Telehealth
• Network Development & Integration
• Pediatrics & Pediatric Surgery, Mass General for Children
• Perioperative Services
• Radiation Oncology
• The Cancer Center

Contact Us

Please send questions to MGHAdminIntern@mgh.harvard.edu.

Melissa Machado, MPH
Co-Director, Graduate Administrative Internship

Melissa (she/hers) is a Scientific Research Manager & Program Manager at Mass General, working in research and continuing medical education management. Originally from Guatemala, Melissa moved to the US to obtain a Cell Biology & Chemistry degree. Melissa then continued her studies at Boston University, where she studied Public Health focusing on Healthcare Management and Pharmaceutical Development, Delivery, and Access. Melissa manages the NIH MGH P30 grant and oversees the P30-funded Center for Skeletal Research, which focuses on making bone disease research more efficient, interdisciplinary, innovative, and interactive. She also manages the annual Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital Clinical Endocrinology course, which reaches more than 60 countries and more than 600 attendees annually, securing CME funding for the course and division. She conducts research with the Fracture Liaison Service, working on publications to help guide other healthcare systems establishing similar programs.

Doug Spivak, MPH
Co-Director, Graduate Administrative Internship

Doug (he/his) is a Senior Administrative Manager at Mass General, working in the Department of Orthopaedics. Doug is originally from Pennsylvania and pursued his undergraduate studies in Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University where he focused in Organizational Behavior, Economics, and Business, and worked as a leadership training facilitator with Cornell's Outdoor Education Center. Doug received his Masters of Public Health in Health Care Management from the Yale School of Public Health in conjunction with the Yale School of Management. As part of his graduate studies, Doug worked at 3 Academic Medical Centers working in a variety of operational and project management roles. Following his masters degree, Doug completed the Massachusetts General Hospital Administrative Fellowship Program. As a fellow, Doug completed several projects including helping run Covid-19 Vaccine Clinics and Testing Centers at the hospital. Doug also coordinated MGH First Aid Services for the USGA at the 2022 US Open in Brookline, Massachusetts. Doug currently manages the Mass General Waltham Orthopaedic Sports Medicine and Upper Extremity Center.

How to Apply

To be considered, students must meet ALL of the following criteria:

• Be currently enrolled in an accredited master’s degree program with a specific concentration in healthcare
• Able to work full-time during the summer (Monday-Friday, 8 hours/day during business hours)
• Be fluent in reading, writing and speaking English
• Demonstrate intelligence, initiative, independence, adaptability and strong communication skills

Mass General is a busy and complicated healthcare environment. Successful students demonstrate the ability to juggle their workload and to absorb and assimilate an extraordinary amount of new knowledge in a very short amount of time.

Students who meet the above criteria and are interested in being considered for an Administrative Internship at Mass General may apply electronically via the MGH Careers website by the application deadline: November 27, 2022 at 11:59 pm ET. The posting can be found by going to massgeneral.org, clicking on Careers, and then searching jobs by typing in "Administrative Intern". A resume and cover letter are both required to be considered for the internship. Applications missing either components will not be considered.

Students on an F-1 student visa must present their Curricular Practical Training (CPT) and visa documents to complete the hiring process.

A limited number of interested students will be asked to complete a brief phone interview in early winter. Students who show promise will be invited to interview with a group of preceptors, scheduled for the first two weeks of January. Any student who accepts a phone interview will be asked to submit a letter of reference from a faculty member at their university recommending them for this summer experience. Students are typically notified in mid- to late January if they have been selected for an internship. Each student’s start and end dates are determined jointly by the preceptor and student based largely on the student’s school schedule. We expect students to be at Mass General for at least 10 weeks, with the first week being the week immediately following Memorial Day (a Tuesday start date). Prior to starting the internship, students are expected to provide their preceptor with any specific requirements their graduate program may require. Interns are required to complete a criminal background check prior to their start date and are expected to comply with all hospital policies, including protecting patient privacy and confidentiality.

Internships come with a modest hourly stipend. Students are responsible for arranging and funding their own housing and transportation during the summer.

Preceptors

Internship preceptors serve as mentors and supervisors for interns throughout the summer. Each intern is assigned a preceptor(s) and will work in that department for the summer. Preceptors work with interns to develop projects tailored to the intern’s interests as well as the department’s needs. Recent internship preceptors are featured below:

Elizabeth Geagan, MHA

Elizabeth Geagan is the Executive Director for the Department of Medicine and the Corrigan Minehan Heart Center at The Massachusetts General Hospital.
“I enjoy being a preceptor because I get to meet people really interested in the field. They teach me new things all the time! Boston is a great place to spend the summer and MGH is such a special place. Exposure to this environment will further convince you that healthcare administration is a very fulfilling career.”

Stephen Spring

Stephen Spring is the Senior Administrative Director of Perioperative Services, Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine at The Massachusetts General Hospital. “MGH is a high quality teaching institution that values education and the educational experience. The broad perspective that one can gain here is something that I do not think can be replicated at other institutions. As a preceptor, I have the opportunity to watch the interns grow and teach them something new.”

Mara Bloom, JD

Mara Bloom is the Executive Director for The Cancer Center at The Massachusetts General Hospital. “Over the past two years, I have had the honor to serve as a preceptor for Massachusetts General Hospital administrative interns. I have been impressed by the interns' ability to drive significant projects in a short period of time. In The Cancer Center, interns have participated in quality improvement, care redesign, financial planning and operational planning initiatives. I also think the interns enjoy all the opportunities to shadow departmental leaders across a variety of settings.”

Danielle Le Hals, MPH

Danielle Le Hals is the Executive Director of Radiation Oncology for The Massachusetts General Hospital. “MGH’s administrative internship program is a unique opportunity to have access to many educational, behind-the-scenes opportunities of a world-class, leading academic medical center. I enjoy mentoring those new to healthcare administration and seeing the value that interns have added to our department through their project work. I enjoy seeing the progression of the intern through the summer, from being completely new to our complex and highly technical environment, to be able to contribute, co-lead projects, and ask meaningful questions towards to end.”

Bethany Daily, MHA

Bethany Daily is the Senior Administrative Director for Perioperative Services at The Massachusetts General Hospital. “We offer a rich program in an excellent organization. Our interns are exposed to a wide variety of topics and situations in a short amount of time. It’s a great opportunity to get a high-functioning intern to learn and contribute, and being a preceptor feels like a nice way to give back to those who will be future leaders in health care.”

Kristen Massimine, PhD

Kristen Massimine is currently the Director, Relationship Management for The Massachusetts General Hospital’s Network Development department. “I obtained my Ph.D. with the intension of becoming an educator and mentor. Although I opted to shift career paths to healthcare administration, I still enjoy working with students. We have a set program that offers a fabulous overview of the organization, exposure to senior leadership, and insights into the inner workings of a hospital. I wish that I had known about this program when I was in school; I would have wanted to do it!”

Gary Smith, MPA

Gary Smith is the Senior Administrative Director for Research Management at The Massachusetts General Hospital. “MGH allows interns to gain an understanding of how a top academic medical center operates. I feel it is important that students interested in hospital administration gain a general understanding of how a research enterprise operates at a large academic medical center, and as a preceptor, I give interns exposure to the MGH research enterprise and how it operates from a senior leadership perspective.”

Elena Olson, JD

Elena Olson is the Executive Director of the Center for Diversity and Inclusion at The Massachusetts General Hospital. “As a preceptor, I enjoy having the opportunity to interact with students and design and implement an important project that will have an impact on our mission. MGH is committed to ensuring a rewarding experience to all interns and to helping them achieve their career goals, whatever they may be! It’s extremely rewarding to be a part of this process.”

Julie Ritucci, MPH

Julie Ritucci is the Administrative Director of Finance in the Department of Pediatrics at The Massachusetts General Hospital. “This is a great program with great interns! MGH is a terrific place to learn given that it is one of the best academic medical centers. The culture is conducive to learning and welcomes it. I enjoy teaching and coaching interns, and working with them as they add value to our department with the projects they complete.”

Intern Experience

The internship program is designed to promote a sense of camaraderie among the administrative interns. Interns attend meetings and program events together, in addition to professional networking events and self-organized social outings throughout the summer. The internship offers students an invaluable opportunity to strengthen their peer professional network while also building a tight-knit community. Students have found the internship experience holistic in providing professional, educational, and social opportunities.

Our past Administrative Interns have gone on to administrative fellowships and positions, such as:

• Administrative Fellow, Cleveland Clinic
• Performance Improvement Fellow, University HealthSystem Consortium
• Administrative Fellow, Main Line Health
• Corporate Administrative Fellow, UnityPoint Health
• Administrative Fellow, Novant Health
• Administrative Fellow, UC Davis Medical Center
• Administrative Resident, Johns Hopkins Medicine International
• Administrative Fellow, Kaiser Permanente
• Administrative Fellow, Stanford Health Care
• Administrative Fellow, Indiana University Health
• General Management Apprentice, Fidelity Investments
• Administrative Fellow, Brigham and Women's Hospital
• Administrative Fellow, Mayo Clinic
• Administrative Fellow, Massachusetts General Hospital

Administrative Positions

• Project Coordinator at Brigham and Women’s Hospital
• Division Head of James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center
• Manager of Data Analytics and Business Planning, Business Development, and Strategic Initiatives at Mass General Brigham
• Associate Consultant at Bain and Company in Hong Kong
• Strategy and Market Development at Stanford Health Care
• Senior Associate of Strategic Initiatives at Emory University School of Medicine
• Assistant Administrator in the Department of General Surgery at Cleveland Clinic
• Managerial Consultant, Kaiser Permanente
• Clinical Analyst at the Center for Advanced Analytics and Informatics at Vizient, Inc.
• Associate Director of Transformation and Strategy Consulting at Evolent Health
• Facility Administrator at DaVita Kidney Care
• Manager of Clinical Integration at Main Line Health
• Director of Clinical Strategy, naviHealth, Inc.
• Senior Consultant at Medical Segment Strategy and Business Development
• Associate of Healthcare Advisory Services at KPMG US
• Advisory Consultant at EY
• Analyst at Abt Associates
• Director of Provider Development at UnityPoint Health
• ACO Project Manager at Baystate Medical Center

Currently Employed at MGH

Riley Orrell, MHA

School: University of Minnesota
Intern Year: 2018
First Professional Position: Administrative Fellow, Massachusetts General Hospital

Melissa Machado, MPH

School: Boston University
Intern Year: 2019
First Professional Position: Project Manager, Massachusetts General Hospital

Olivia MacKenzie, MBA, MPH

School: Boston University
Intern Year: 2019
First Professional Position: Program Manager, Center for Outcomes & Patient Safety in Surgery (COMPASS), Massachusetts General Hospital

Douglas Spivak

School: Yale University
Intern Year: 2019
First Professional Position: Administrative Fellow, Massachusetts General Hospital