Internship Q&A: Jania Simmons -
Public Health
Where is your internship?
My internship is at Trident Medical Center, a 321-bed hospital in North Charleston. I started there in 2024 when I was a Nursing major. I liked it, so when I switched my major to Public Health, I decided to do a deeper project there. My current "Fall Prevention with Patients with Neurological Disorders" is a 14-week project.
Is your internship paid?
No, this is not something I am getting paid for.
What do you do at your internship?
I am trying to find ways to prevent falls with patients who have had strokes, dementia, head and neck injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and other neurological disorders. Often, they cannot process things in typical ways, like the risks of falling or the need to put up bed rails. So I am comparing and contrasting the best ways to combat this. I'm doing this by interviewing nurses and patient care technicians to see what they specifically do for this population.
Where did you live?
I live in USCB student housing on the Bluffton Campus, but I am from Charleston, SC. For my internship, I go to Trident Medical Center once every two weeks, and for this I spend the night at home.
What's one surprising thing you learned?
I learned that the way this population processes information is much different and requires a different approach when interacting with them. I also learned that their nurses use a specific assessment to document the progress of their disorders.
Why did you intern there?
I had already worked with this population for a year. There was not much time for me to consider much else because I switched from Nursing to Public Health. The patient who inspired me to continue working with neurological disorders was a woman who had recently suffered a traumatic brain injury. I noticed how much I was struggling to care for her and accommodate her needs, as she could not process the information I presented to her. I wanted to learn how to better help her.
Why is this internship important for your future career?
It is essential because it teaches patience. When dealing with a population like this, sometimes there are things you would never consider until they are right in front of you. Often, by that point, it is too late. So spreading awareness is why I believe this is important.
What was the weirdest and/or most fun thing that has happened to you on the job?
I enjoy working with my preceptor, Carol, and being able to see the back side of things at the hospital. Being able to see interventions and data from a manager's perspective is so fun. We have had a decrease in falls just this year!