Emilie’s Internship Experience in Healthcare

Meet Emilie Power, a marketing intern who joined the Healthcare and Senior Living segment during the Summer of 2021. She shares with us her successful internship experience.
 
Interviewer: How was your first week?

Emilie: I was happily surprised by my first week at Sodexo. The team was well-prepared for my arrival as we had been in contact for a couple of months before the start of my internship. Before my start date, I was given employee packages as well as case studies and information that allowed me to better understand Sodexo. 

My first week included orientation to Sodexo operations, culture, as well as many introductions to members of the Healthcare and Senior living segments. I was invited to sit in on many calls throughout the week and was invited to speak individually to various members of the leadership team, which allowed me to form connections. At the end of my first week, I was given my first project, to create a marketing roadmap. I was surprised that in my first week they already trusted my abilities and that I was already doing a task by myself. Thankfully I was provided with lots of support to make this project successful.  

Interviewer: What was your favourite project? 

Emilie: My favourite project was the Safety Pledge Campaign, a national safety campaign that we worked on throughout the month of July and August. The goal was to have our frontline employees submit safety pledges throughout a two-week period. I was really pleased that our campaign had 1900+ frontline employees across the country participate.  

Interviewer: What did you learn about your working style?

Emilie: I have always known that I am a team player and enjoy working with others to complete tasks and projects. I find it beneficial to have multiple opinions and ideas when working on something. However, I’m not always the most confident person, but I was encouraged to speak up during meetings and this really helped me become confident in my role on the team.

Saffron Sri, Sodexo Healthcare team, says:

Lots of courage, lots of questions, the destination is never perfectly clear, but you see change through challenges. Emilie saw opportunities, leveraged on her strengths and kept an open mind to change and challenge herself. 

Interviewer: What are the takeaways from this summer’s internship?

Emilie:

1. Project Management – I got to take lead on a few projects which allowed me to learn not only how to manage my own responsibilities but work with others to complete tasks efficiently.

2. Creating strategic plans and execution template – This is in reference to the marketing roadmap I created, once finalized we used it throughout the summer as a template for our marketing efforts.

3. Collaborating with various stakeholders to bring quality and substance to a project – Sodexo is a company that works with other entities to provide them with a service. This means that not only did I work with my team, but I also worked with hospital representatives and contract representatives to execute projects.

4. Negotiating with team members to reach goals and financial targets – It is important to understand that just because something is a priority to you or your team, does not mean that it is a priority for those who you are working with. Negotiating with colleagues on timelines and tasks is something that I learned throughout the summer.

5. Using innovative technologies – we worked on campaigns and projects throughout the pandemic that required new and improved systems, an example would be using QR codes to facilitate the participation in the safety pledge campaign.  

Interviewer: Any advice for future interns?

Emilie:

• Consider time zones: When running the national Safety Campaign, I had to present the campaign to the site representatives and managers while accommodating several time zones.  

• Never forget to press record: Record meetings for those who have conflicting schedules, they will be able to access the information after the fact.