Exploring passion for patient care through Health Services Management Internship
Morgan Madura knew that she’d need both direct care experience and an internship to complete her Health Services Management degree on the path to a nursing career. When she found ACR Homes, she knew it was the perfect fit for both! What she didn’t realize was that she was about to develop unexpected relationships and new passions relating to patient care.
“My communication skills have grown exponentially, because I have worked with people who are “non-verbal,” notes Morgan. “I have always thought that communication was my strength, but I did not know how challenging care could be when there are substantial communication barriers.”
Morgan’s experience at ACR has confirmed her desire to be a psychiatric nurse practitioner, and possibly to continue working with people with disabilities. Her experience at ACR has given her the experience and desire to help break down communication barriers that can stand in the way of people with disabilities getting the mental health care they sometimes need. “I am so happy that I got the opportunity to obtain a new passion to incorporate into my future career,” she adds.
Patient Care + Purpose
Along with the technical skills that Morgan gained such as medication administration and experience with new medical equipment such as feeding tubes, her shifts at ACR also include lots of relationship building through crafts, hugs, activities, and conversation with the residents.
Morgan expressed initial surprise over the strong connection she developed with the women with disabilities she supports. She recalls coming back to work after a few weeks off and having one of her residents exclaim: “Oh my gosh, come here I need to give you a hug! I am so glad that you are back!” Morgan’s describes this as a favorite memory, adding, “It was uplifting to come back feel like I was missed by my residents, because I know that I missed them!”
Along with her direct care experience, Morgan was able to earn credit at the University of Minnesota for completing her internship requirement for her major. Complementing her direct care experience, Morgan was able to gain additional experiences on the administrative side of ACR including working with CEO Jim Nelson on gathering data for a job stress survey which she used to correlate the relation between different workplace factors and perceived stress of employees.
Next Steps
Now, as Morgan is getting ready to submit her nursing school applications for her masters entry level nursing program and doctorate nursing programs, she feels even better equipped to stand out as an applicant. She notes, “When writing my personal statements and answering questions for schools, I was able to easily refer to all of my different experiences at ACR.” Additionally, because she completed an internship, she’ll be getting a personalized letter of recommendationfrom CEO Jim Nelson.
Morgan concludes “Anyone who is interested in working in the medical field could benefit from working at ACR because the experience is invaluable, and I will take what I have learned at ACR and use it throughout my career.”
Watch Morgan’s internship video here!
Learn more about gaining direct care experience at ACR to get life-changing meaningful work of your own at www.acrhomes.com/employment.