My name is Alex and this summer my internship was with the Portland Area Indian Health Service in the Division of Environmental Health Services, and I worked under my mentor and preceptor Commander Christopher Fish from the United States Public Health Service, who is the Director of the Portland Area Office.
I got to do a very broad range of activities during my 10-week internship that included traveling to reservations in Oregon, Idaho, and Washington. On most of my trips, I assist in surveying food establishments, institutional facilities, or childcare facilities making sure that they are following the safety codes and write up reports that include our recommendations to return to the supervisors. I am not there to get people in trouble, but rather to bring our recommendations for change or improvement to the attention of the establishments and provide or help connect them with the resources needed. Some of the facilities we survey operate on grant money, and our recommendations can be used as justification for funding when applying for grants. Another large aspect of my job is shadowing during walk throughs of clinics with CEO’s, Infection Control Officers, or other personnel to help staff either identify or address a variety of issues such air quality and ventilation, infection control, upcoming AAHC inspections, and more.
The skills that were most helpful for this job were listening, organization, being self-motivated, and handling problems that arise quickly and without delay. When working with tribes, the best thing to do is to listen to what they want and need rather than telling someone what you are there to do. Tribal members know what their facilities and communities need better than anyone. In addition, I was flying or driving to reservations almost weekly, and there were multiple times when trips needed to be moved or extended with less than a day’s notice. Quickly getting in touch with the travel agency to change flights and hotels or being flexible with staying an extra night somewhere is important as those trips in the field are where you will learn the most!
Lastly, ask for help when you need it as your supervisor wants to help you, but first try problem solving yourself and use your resources (old class slides on canvas and google are your friends!). Working from home creates a lot of challenges with onboarding and any new task throughout the internship because you cannot walk over to someone’s desk when you have a quick question. Making sure you can clearly articulate over email, phone, or video call is essential. You will need to communicate well with not only your supervisor, but also HR personnel and other colleagues.
Most importantly, try to soak in as much information as you can and have fun!