By Dominique Wilson, Guest Writer
This summer I was given the opportunity to become a graduate intern at Banner Health, the third largest employer in the state of Arizona. Upon being offered the role, I discussed with my recruiter my interest in being placed on an HR team, as I was looking to pursue a career in international Human Resources consulting after graduation. Fortunately, I was able to join the Banner Health Corporate HR team at their Downtown Phoenix location.
Specifically, the team that I became a part of was responsible for coordinating the restructure of all nursing (RN) roles within all Banner facilities. This project has been the central focus in the organization for the past six months, with the potential for multi-million-dollar cost savings. When I was informed of the scope and breadth of the project, I was both thrilled and nervous. It was inspirational to me to think that I was going to be a part of something this huge for Banner Health as an intern. I knew it was going to be a challenging but also rewarding summer with my new colleagues.

Dominique Wilson, courtesy of the author.
Now, that being said, of course I had several deliverables and mini-projects within this huge RN restructure.
My first project was to develop an in-depth analysis questionnaire that was to be administered to all RN managers across different facilities to collect staffing and scheduling data. The objective was to collect this data to support the new staffing and scheduling policy that was to be implemented when the restructure took place.
My second project was to design an intranet page that would be utilized by both leaders and team members within the RN role. The objective was to create a simple, easy-to-follow, visual process for all RNs on this intranet page, which would house all educational documents for staffing and scheduling practices.
This leads me to my third project, creating staffing and scheduling educational documents. I worked closely with the IT team to become a system expert on the KRONOS staffing software utilized by Banner Health employees. After becoming an expert, I created 13 educational documents that walk leaders and employees through the staffing and scheduling process step by step.
Finally, my last project was to assist in the creation of the RN Playbook, a managerial tool to ensure a smooth transition for the restructure of the RN roles. Within that playbook I have assisted with creating pre-work templates and several activities that leaders will engage in when they receive their new training.

Courtesy of Dominique Wilson
I believe that the best part of my internship was the autonomy I was given by my leaders and peers. I was given deliverables with a decent amount of ambiguity, but with that I was able to personalize my internship experience and learn so much. I was able to shadow several HR consultants and HR Business Partners to gain a better perspective on what both roles look like from day to day.
Every other Friday all the interns came together for education on what it means to be an employee at Banner and to engage in some sort of team-building activity. I was even able to meet all the leaders of the C-Suite and ask them questions about the future of Banner as an organization.
At the end of the internship there was a poster presentation where the interns showcased the projects we contributed to over the summer. During this presentation, different leaders and team members walked around while we presented our projects.
Working for Banner Health was amazing, so amazing that I was able to secure a part-time position with them while I finish this last semester of the MAGAM program. The Human Resources team that I was originally placed on transitioned into an Operations team. When the transition took place, I was offered the part-time role as Patient Care Operations Support Coordinator and am hoping to secure a full-time position with Banner in December.
To anyone interested in the healthcare realm, I would highly recommend this internship because it will truly be what you want to make of it and there are so many great leaders at Banner willing to invest in your future.
Dominique is a second-year student in the MAGAM program.