There are more options now for business students who want real-world experience in healthcare management thanks to a new partnership between the Debbie and Jerry Ivy College of Business and McFarland Clinic in Ames, Iowa.
The two organizations signed a Memorandum of Understanding, effective March 1, to help students combine their passions for business and healthcare and open the door to paid healthcare management internships during college.
This is the third partnership agreement of this nature. The college has similar agreements with Mary Greeley Medical Center in Ames and UnityPoint Health – Des Moines.
“We are thrilled to welcome McFarland Clinic as our newest partner in experiential learning,” said Natallia Gray, assistant dean who leads and teaches in the healthcare management program. “At Ivy, we are dedicated to enriching our students’ experiences and take pride in our collaborations with outstanding healthcare organizations. Experiential learning opportunities are essential in preparing our future healthcare leaders. As we enter our third year with 96 healthcare management students, our program’s growth is supported by exceptional internship opportunities offered by hospitals and clinics in Ames and Des Moines.”
The partnership is also an asset for the clinic.
“McFarland Clinic is excited to partner with Iowa State University through the Ivy College of Business in offering a healthcare administration experience,” said Chief Operating Officer Jenni Talbott. “Along with the growing need for healthcare services in our communities, the need for great leaders in healthcare administration continues to grow as well. Offering an internship opportunity will help shape the healthcare leaders of tomorrow. This is one way McFarland Clinic can help the successful future of leadership in healthcare.”
To meet the needs of students who want to combine their interests in healthcare and business, the Ivy College of Business launched an undergraduate major in healthcare management in 2022.
Kyle Dowling-Magill (’17 management) wishes the degree and internship opportunities in healthcare had been available while he was a business student. An associate consultant with Huron Consulting Group in Dallas, Texas, Dowling-Magill, worked part-time at McFarland Clinic in Ames during college so he could combine his interests in business and healthcare.
“Healthcare internships were very difficult to find when I was at Iowa State,” he said.
“The position at McFarland was perfect for my circumstances. Giving students exposure beyond the classroom is essential to their development to apply their knowledge to real-life scenarios. The classroom can only get you so far. This opportunity will challenge students to think critically about how healthcare relies on various departments to operate effectively and efficiently,” he said. “I initially thought healthcare management was only targeting clinical management, but there is a much broader lens to explore. I hope this new opportunity will give students a chance to explore areas in healthcare that may not have been thought of before.”
Having healthcare experience during college proved to be instrumental to Dowling-Magill’s career.
“Since my time at McFarland, I have partnered with over 50 healthcare organizations across the U.S. implementing solutions for their revenue cycle and/or clinical needs,” he said. “I continuously refer back to my time at McFarland as the saving grace that gave me hope and a vision of where I would be today.”
Dowling-Magill will serve on a new healthcare advisory council being created at the Ivy College of Business, an opportunity where he has direct input into the programs being offered.
“I always knew healthcare was the industry I wanted to work in,” he said. “Looking at the Ivy healthcare management degree curriculum, I am excited future business students have the opportunity I longed for.”
