UAH Students Work Directly in Hospitals
The Universit
y of Alabama in Huntsville is partnering with hospitals to involve students in Lean and Six Sigma Healthcare projects. As part of their curriculum, UAH undergraduate and graduate students are working in the hospitals to identify and solve problems in order to improve quality, reduce lead times and lower costs. Students work directly with healthcare providers and UAH staff and faculty as they apply the concepts they are learning in the classroom.
I really enjoy seeing the use of tools and concepts I've learned in Industrial Engineering truly make a difference by improving healthcare processes.
Student Spotlight - Anna Ayers (Huntsville Hospital)
Anna Ayers began working as a Management Engineering Intern at Huntsville Hospital in the Spring of 2016. As a Student Specialist in the UAH Office for Operational Excellence, Anna provides data analysis and process improvement support to multiple service lines in Huntsville Hospital. Anna also supports UAH Lean Healthcare Academy, a week-long certification series at Huntsville Hospital provided by the UAH Office for Operational Excellence.
“I really enjoy seeing the use of tools and concepts I've learned in Industrial Engineering truly make a difference by improving healthcare processes,” said Anna, who is pursuing a degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering.
Projects that Anna supports include reducing time and labor to verify patient charts, reducing time to locate medical equipment and improving the “door-to-doc” time for patients in the pediatric emergency room. As an Industrial Engineering Student at UAH, Anna has completed both the UAH Lean Certificate Series and UAH Huntsville Hospital Lean Healthcare Academy. Anna is also a recipient of the SCI Systems, Inc. Olin B. King Scholarship for Engineering and the UAH Super Scholar Transfer Scholarship and plans to graduate in December of 2016.
Student Spotlight - Kory Kasey (Marshall Medical Center)
Kory Kasey is a Student Specialist in the UAH Office for Operational Excellence. Kory began working as a Quality Department Intern at Marshall Medical Center in the Fall of 2015. As an intern, Kory supports the Vice President of Quality and Clinical Information at Marshall Medical Center by providing data analysis and facilitating process improvement events. Projects that Kory supported include improving medication reconciliation process, improving emergency management services and overall improvements to the hiring and retention process at Marshal Medical North and Marshall Medical South.
“I’ve enjoyed spending time with different people thinking critically about the processes and systems that they work on. Working as an intern has exposed me to the unique interactions between the medical field and the field of industrial engineering. I have been able to use some of the tools such as value stream mapping, plan do check act thinking, as well as standardization tools and many others. The experience of being an intern cannot be matched, as it has provided me with real world work experience while still allowing me to learn and become a better engineer.”
Kory, a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, has received several honors and awards including Charger Distinction Award and UAH Dean’s List and plans to graduate in December of 2016 with a major in Industrial and Systems Engineering and a minor in Mathematics.
Student Spotlight – Alyssa Newby
Alyssa Newby enrolled in the Marketing and Supply Chain Practicum (MKT 490) for the Summer 2014 semester. Her role on the team was to conduct market research for the UAH Lean Healthcare product line. Specifically, she researched and compiled information on hospitals in the southeastern U.S., including location, patient volume and key performance indicators. This information will be critical in marketing efforts for UAH Office for Operational Excellence (OOE) and complemented Alyssa’s current employment at Huntsville Hospital. Midway through the semester, an opportunity opened up for Alyssa to directly support a project at Huntsville Hospital for OOE. She worked with hospital staff and OOE personnel to help create an inventory replenishment system for the anesthesia department. Alyssa has been very active during her participation in the Practicum and a true asset to OOE.
Link to OOE Student Involvement Page
UAH Graduate Student Supports Emergency Department
In cooperation with a local hospital, an Industrial Engineering graduate student performed extensive data analysis in the emergency department and identified opportunities to reduce costs. Lean principles and concepts applied included reducing batch transactions, standardizing processes in patient admissions and reducing lead time for various activities.
