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Aishu Challa, Sydney Internship

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Interned in clinical information systems at St. Vincent’s Hospital in the Department of Microbiology, Spring 2013

Internship: I worked at St. Vincent’s Hospital in the Department of Microbiology in Sydney, Australia. My internship was geared towards medical research and clinical information systems. I created a database for the doctors that allowed them to easily enter multiple patient admissions and drug level monitoring and other information. By creating a simple form format and directing buttons for various functions, I made the system easily usable for anyone within the hospital.

In addition, my second project involved using both Oracle and Excel (Pivot tables) to generate reports on the budgeting on patient laboratory tests over the past two financial periods. I presented the reports to the heads of the various departments as well as the manager of the Department of Microbiology.

My third project involved creating a presentation for the head of the department.  Since the microbiology research doctor provided guidance to physicians in various other departments about what antibiotics were effective in treating patients, I was asked to review patient data and records to assess what influence advice given by the microbiology research doctor had on the antibiotics and treatments  chosen. The data identified the progress of patient treatment within eight hours of the call of advice.

I Learned: One thing I learned from my experience is the ability to learn about a new organization and guidelines unique to the country. There are many regulations unique to hospitals in Australia that I was able to educate myself on and apply to my internship projects.

Another thing I learned from studying abroad was various perceptions of the world including the United States. It was fun being able to travel to different cities and meet people from the entire world and broaden my knowledge on global issues and even on my home country.

Comparing/Contrasting My Work Experiences: A few differences I noticed from the beginning to the end of my internship, in comparison to my previous workplaces included the internship focus, work environment, internship wrap up.

Day one of my internship, my supervisor/boss asked me what I would like to do rather than handing me random busy work. He asked me what I would want to do that would help me. I found this very influential and helpful.

Throughout my internship, my work environment was very casual and laid back. Most of my coworkers took two or three breaks during the day but never missed a deadline. They were very social and often encouraged me to take breaks in order to be more relaxed and high-spirited. Past internship experiences have been quite rigorous and stressful, which I often found intimidating and uncomfortable.

Lastly, during my internship wrap up, my boss and supervisor focused on accomplishments and my efforts, but not on my abilities but on how I helped the department’s success. They also spent a lot of time asking me for advice on how to improve the internship experience for following students which I thought was very impressive and interesting.

Hardest Part: The hardest part of my experience was making sure you balanced your school, work, and social life. Sometimes living with friends and discovering a new city can distract you from your main purpose of education and work. I wouldn’t say that balancing was a problem, but it was definitely a factor in your daily life. My biggest advice: stay on task and you can pretty much do anything and everything you want!

Best Part: The best part of my experience was meeting people of all ages and making long-term friendships. It was such an eye opening experience and learning from other’s viewpoints on numerous things is always entertaining and informational. Also, having great local connections helps with finding the best places to visit and receiving good recommendations. I still maintain contact with my Australian friends, coworkers and even the friends I made within the BU Sydney program, which is awesome!

Blair Sheets, Sydney Internship

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Interned in Sales and Marketing with Hayman, a luxury private island resort, Spring 2013

Internship: I interned at Hayman a five star private island resort off the eastern coast of Australia near the Great Barrier Reef. The sales and marketing team is based in Sydney, and they coordinate corporate group, incentive and wedding events on the island. I, personally, was able to cultivate business in both the Weddings and C&I departments.

I Learned: I learned how to adapt to a new social and work culture. Despite the similarities in language and history, it was amazing to see how different Australia is from America.

Comparing/Contrasting My Work Experiences: Working in Australia was an amazing opportunity to let my abilities shine. In the USA most of my internships have required me to file and fetch coffee; whereas, in Australia I feel that my talents were truly recognized and utilized. I was able to connect with customers and prepare proposals and contracts for events that could bring in up to $400,000 in revenue for Hayman.

I also really appreciated learning about the work/life balance in Australia. Australians are definitely work hard, play hard people. For the majority of the week, they work longer hours than 9-5 p.m.; however, when the clock strikes 4 p.m. on Friday, everyone stops to grab a glass of wine together and socialize. Combine this with the required 4 weeks annual leave, and you’ve got a pretty appealing job system.

Hardest Part: The most difficult part of my experience was adjusting to Australia’s “no worries” mentality. While they are definitely on their game, Australians are much more relaxed than Americans. At times I was caught off guard because I was still in the American mentality that every little thing is a big deal that needs to be dealt with ASAP. It was nice to take a step back and breathe.

Best Part: The best part of my experience abroad was getting to try new things and meet people. In Australia an American looks like part of the general population until we open our mouths. Then immediately you have someone wanting to know all about you. It was amazing to talk to so many different people and hear their stories. I also loved all of the adventure available in Australia: bungee jumping, skydiving and scuba diving are experiences I will never forget!

 

Erin Lam, London Internship–Management Track

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Interned in Information Systems and Marketing at Whizz-Kidz, Spring 2013

Internship: I interned at Whizz-Kidz, a non-profit organization that raises funds to provide mobility equipment for physically and/or mentally disabled children throughout the United Kingdom. My primary responsibilities involved the Children Services Department, where I collected and analyzed client information through a central database and then relayed the information to improve their overall business processes. In addition, I assisted in creating marketing strategies and preparing for the charity’s participation in the London Marathon.

I Learned: My internship experience gave me an intriguing insight into alternative health care policies. It is well known that there is a free health care system throughout Britain. Thus, in comparison the United States systems, this indicates very different responsibilities for health professionals, technology, insurance companies, and sponsors in Britain.

I also learned how cultural and/or overall environmental differences can impact businesses and the way in which managerial procedures are run. Amongst the scope of politics, technology, and other environmental factors, business managers must be cognizant of the discrepancies between domestic and foreign markets then adjust their strategies when managing operations elsewhere. I did not realize how important cultural understanding was until it affected me in my workplace.

Comparing/Contrasting My Work Experiences: A major similarity I noticed between my work experiences in the U.S. and the U.K. is the high degree of working in teams. Both experiences encouraged team work in completion of a project as well as introduced me to people with unique cultural and ethnic backgrounds.

An intriguing activity that I experienced in London was weekly “afternoon tea” where different departments would bring food, snacks, and tea to celebrate the end of each week. This enhances office cohesion and introduces people from different departments to each other who would not have met each otherwise. It was unlike anything I have ever experienced before in the work place.

Hardest Part: Working under culturally different ethics and adhering to them was a major challenge for me. I realized that the way in which problems were resolved was very different in my London internship than my previous work experiences in the U.S. I once worked at a technology consultant group in the U.S. where compromising with the client was the ideal approach to settling a dispute. Meanwhile, at my internship in London, most of their work practices seemed more focused on finding the most effective solution to a conflict. This was especially difficult when working in teams because I was often tempted to make a compromise while my teammates were more focused on figuring out which of the options was the “right solution.” Finding the balance between ‘compromising’ and ‘directly solving’ was incredibly satisfying and led to impressive results.

Best Part: Meeting and making British friends! It was strange to be considered as ‘the visitor from America,’ but they taught me so much about their culture and took me to places I would not have gone to otherwise.