New Partnership with ISU Ivy College of Business

A new partnership between the Ivy College of Business and Boone County Hospital (BCH) in Boone, Iowa, benefits students who want to pursue a degree in healthcare management. The two organizations recently signed an agreement to open a pathway for healthcare management students to gain internship experience.

The partnerships help students combine their passions for business and healthcare and open the door to paid healthcare management internships during college.

“It has been so exciting to welcome new healthcare organizations into our college partnerships,” said Natallia Gray, assistant dean and program director for the healthcare management program. “We have collaborated on many opportunities with their leadership, and we are thrilled to take the next step in officially partnering to provide experiential learning opportunities for our students.”

The first student from the healthcare management program to intern at BCH was Jasmine Weiland (’24 marketing, healthcare management). In the spring of 2024, she gained valuable experience and built relationships that have helped launch her career post-graduation.

“Completing my internship at Boone County Hospital provided me with an in-depth understanding of the operations of a local critical access hospital,” said Weiland, the graduate medical education program coordinator at Health Equity Programs and Health System Track at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. “I had the opportunity to rotate through various departments and engage in special projects focused on quality improvement, community outreach, employee satisfaction, budgeting, and compliance.”

Boone County Hospital is the latest healthcare organization to sign an agreement with the college. Other recent agreements have been established with:

• UnityPoint Health, Des Moines, Iowa.

• Mary Greeley Medical Center, Ames, Iowa.

• McFarland Clinic, Ames, Iowa.

• Trinity Health, Minot, North Dakota.

The partnership is also an asset for Boone County Hospital.

“We are honored to partner with Iowa State and support students who are pursuing a degree in healthcare management,” said Mikaela Kienitz, CEO of Boone County Hospital.  “Our organization offers students the opportunity to understand rural healthcare and learn the challenges and opportunities of this setting. We are excited to see what this partnership can grow into in the future.”

Boone County Hospital (BCH) is a Critical Access Hospital serving all of Boone County and beyond.  They offer an array of services, state-of-the-art technology, and outstanding care.  Family medicine clinics are available in Boone, Ogden, and Madrid.  

About the Ivy healthcare management program: The Ivy College of Business launched an undergraduate degree in healthcare management in the fall of 2022. The major includes experiential learning requirements. For more details visit the program web page or contact Natallia Gray.