Summer Internship 2005

John Jones Internship in Community Healthcare Ethics
Pearls of Great Price

People ask me from time to time how I find the interns each year. The applicants come from across the USA, one has contacted us from Sydney, Australia and one from Dublin, Ireland, in recent years. About 4-6 apply each year, the decisions are hard to make, the caliber of student "first class." (In 2006 we had fourteen applicants!) We can take only two, at the most three. No one has to have had previous experience in healthcare.

The admissions process is posted in January of each year. As part of the process there is a required essay, submission of two letters of recommendation and a resume. We have had high school, college and graduate school students. (A mix at times) All ages/grades are required to submit the same materials, no exceptions for younger students in application requirements. Sometimes I feel I have a Peace Corps or Americorps in seed. It would not be hard to gather a larger group. The students want to find an entry point into the system so as to be change agents in the field of healthcare. The knowledge base of even the youngest is astounding. They have listened and read, and they see the problems. They simply want to know: how can I make a difference? My gratitude to students past and present is undying. We could never do this work without them, and somehow I think they know that. They generate an energy that is contagious.

Summer Internship 2005

Rick Gaines: Rick is currently a senior student at New Trier High School, and is considering a career in medicine. He was "the designated driver" summer 2005. Rick was also "driven" in the best sense of that word. Nothing was too much for him, no task too daunting. He tackled things with which he was familiar, but tasks that were totally new as well. He was never satisfied until he had a satisfying answer for himself. In the end, the resolution of anything he tackled was truly his. I will remember many things about Rick, but in particular his presence and sense of self when speaking to others, and hand gestures that spoke louder than any words. Rick’s major responsibility was the Values Seminar that was held in late February 2006. This project is a grassroots effort to engage the local community in conversation about the healthcare system we would all like to have in the future. ( http//www.ourhealthcarefuture.org) This is a nationwide project and we have been selected to sponsor a pilot group. The project has been organized by Georgetown University Medical Center in collaboration with the Center for Healthcare Reform in Orange, California.

Michelle Lerman: Michelle is currently a Junior student at New Trier High School. When I think about Michelle one story comes to mind immediately. At the end of the fourth week, with only four days to go, Michelle stood in the middle of the small office and exclaimed: "Peggy, I've GOT IT!" I asked her what it was and she said: "It all fits! It has all come together!" I asked her to tell me more and she said: "It's fate!" And then she paused and said: "No, it's faith!" It was a "show stopper" of a moment, when the disparate parts of her summer internship experience suddenly all made sense. She worked tirelessly trying to find additional healthcare support for two underinsured people, was willing to run bake sales, do anything possible to get more money for these very needy families. She is a first class organizer and advocate for the less fortunate. Her sudden realizations, coming from a deeper place often bubbled to the surface in a profound statement, and no one would dare break the silence that followed. She considers the field of Philosophy in the future.

Jacob Levin: Jacob is currently a Sophomore at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. He enriched us by his presence, not only by what he did for us. I do not mean this lightly. Jacob was "the seeker" among us. The word "presence" says different things to different people, but in Jacob's case I found that his questions in the area of religion and health were not only honest but truly searching. He always wanted more; he was capable of going deeper and deeper. The challenge for me was to draw him down and in even more deeply. His depth of insight was a gift, his willingness to continue to go where I led was a trust that I will not soon forget. I "found" Jacob in a different way: two summers ago I went into a local photography store to have the internship photos developed. Jacob waited on me, and when he saw the finished prints he said: "What is this? I want to be a part of it!" And so he started, part - time, coming after school or work.

Erin O'Donnell: Erin has graduated from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and is living and working in the Chicago area. She offered to do a thorough review of The Center's website (http//www.healthcare-ethics.org), now four years old. Via e-mail, Rick, Michelle and Erin collaborated across the miles, and developed the site as it is now. Michelle gathered all of the "local advocacy" information; Rick gathered all of the "national advocacy" information. Each section was edited significantly as a result of Erin's input. Erin spent one day in the office with us, mid - summer. It was as though she had been with us forever. She got little reward except our admiration for her commitment to systemic change, and for her yeoman's duty.

In summary, their commitment and the desire to make a difference in the world inspire me. Nothing is too big for them. A number of years ago I advertised once for a part - time administrative assistant once in a local paper. I had sixteen applicants, all young people, all willing to work two jobs in order to join in the effort.

Peggy McDonnell, RSCJ

Note: The internship program is funded each summer by the Glenview State Bank, Glenview, Illinois. It is overseen by The Center for Ethics and Advocacy in Healthcare, a not-for-profit organization located at Techny Towers, in Northbrook, Illinois. The year 2005 was our tenth anniversary year at this location, and the ninth year funded by the Glenview State Bank.