Independence Blue Cross Celebrates Completion of Nurse Internship Program
Philadelphia, PA - July 28, 2005 - A building full of bean counters who knew nothing about health care.
That's what Tama Berman, a nursing student at Villanova University, expected to find in June when she began a nine-week internship at Independence Blue Cross (IBC).
Victoria Hafner, a senior nursing student at LaSalle University, wasn't sure how to explain her summer job at IBC to her six-year-old son-except that she wouldn't be doing any "real" nursing. After all, why would an insurance company hire nurses?
But now that they have almost finished summer internships at IBC, Tama, Victoria and eight other nursing school students are surprised by the unexpected perspective they have developed on the health insurance industry and the new ideas they have about nursing jobs they may seek in the future.
IBC selected 10 nursing students from LaSalle, Villanova, the Brandywine School of Nursing, Thomas Jefferson University, and the University of Pennsylvania to participate in its pilot IBC Nurse Internship Program, which began in June this summer.
The program was designed to give students a behind-the-scenes look at how managed health care works - to use IBC as a real world learning laboratory to bridge the gap between the clinical material taught in the classroom and the actual practice of health administration in a business setting. But, the interns learned much more.
To Villanova senior nursing student Tama Berman, it came as a shock that the goal of the people with whom she worked in the IBC Claims Payment Policy Department was to make sure that patients got the best possible care - that the drugs and other treatments approved for coverage actually improved their health and wellbeing.
Fellow IBC nursing intern Victoria later explained to her son, "I was wrong that this would not be the same kind of nursing" as caring for patients in a hospital. After her experience at IBC making outreach calls to patients hospitalized for elective surgery, Victoria realized, "I get to help people all day and teach them how to be healthier. I may not be giving needles and handing out medicine, but I am still being a nurse."
"Nurses play a critical role at IBC," said Joseph A. Frick, IBC President and CEO. "But the fact that our nursing interns were surprised by this reminds me that many people don't know that we have more than 350 nurses and 30 medical doctors on staff each and every day, making sure our customers are getting the best possible health care."
As part of their training, the interns made outreach calls to consult with members dealing with cancer, impending surgery, or difficult pregnancies. They also shadowed case managers at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and observed how doctors are credentialed at IBC. Other interns worked with nurses who authorize medical equipment, home care, and home infusions.
"I've always known in theory how important patient education is," said Sarah Taubeneck, a University of Pennsylvania nursing student. But it was not until she rode with the IBC Wellness Van and performed blood pressure screenings at community events, that she discovered her love of health education.
"I found myself growing more passionate about community health and health promotion, which was never an area I thought I could be interested in," she said.
"I used to think that health insurance was only to pay for medications, doctor visits and hospital stays," said Elise Keppler, a student at LaSalle University. After interning at IBC, she realized, "At the core, IBC is largely about helping others…there's a constant air of advocacy and dedication that can be found in every area of the company. I have learned that this is what makes health care work, both in the hospital and in the corporate world."
Their discovery rings true with IBC's mission of giving back to the community.
"The IBC Nurse Internship Program is a positive way for us to deepen our commitment to the nurses and to the community," said IBC President and CEO Frick. "We're here to make quality health care as affordable and accessible as possible. And we can get the best results when we partner with others, including the future health care professionals these interns represent."
Thanks to the success of the pilot internship program, IBC is planning to repeat the program next year. The internship program is a companion initiative to the IBC Nurse Scholars Program, which seeks to stem the future shortage of nurses and nurse educators by providing scholarships to undergraduate and graduate nurses. In 2004, IBC dedicated $3 million to the Nurse Scholars Program over a three-year period with its partner, the Pennsylvania Higher Education Foundation. IBC has committed $1 million for the 2005-2006 academic year. To date, the Program has benefited 600 nursing students in 29 accredited nursing programs in southeastern Pennsylvania.
As Janice Cantwell, an intern from the Brandywine School of Nursing, summed up her experience in the internship program, "I will leave enriched by the opportunity, truly as an ambassador of managed care."
Independence Blue Cross is the leading health insurer in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Nationwide, IBC and its affiliates provide coverage to nearly 3.5 million people.
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