Since the COVID-19 pandemic, health has been at the forefront of public consciousness. I am not a medic or a scientist (although I do have a first aid qualification!), but health and healthcare systems has always interested me, especially how they intersect with so many other areas like politics, economics, people, cultures, and geographies. This is what led me to apply for an internship in health communications and policy at MHP Group.
From my first week, it became clear that this internship was not just going to be a checkbox on my professional journey. I was empowered by the immediate trust I received from the team. I truly felt that they believed in my capabilities, and this not only validated my skills but also propelled me to excel and made me feel that I was contributing meaningfully to the projects I was working on.
It was great helping on so many accounts with clients ranging from large pharmaceutical companies and patient advocacy groups, to charities, doing activities like stakeholder mapping, monitoring, researching briefs, report writing, and so much more. I know it is a cliché, but no-two days were the same and as a result I have been able to learn so much about the healthcare space in such a short amount of time, alongside developing my professional skill set. I was also encouraged to voice my preferences for the accounts I would like to help on, which only made the whole experience so much more interesting.
On one occasion, I voiced that I would like to work on an account which focuses on mental health, as this is an area of personal interest to me. Not only did I get to help on this account, which ended up being even more fascinating than I had anticipated, but I was also able to contribue to a key piece of research for the project. During meetings with the team, I was able to share my insights regarding this research and felt that my work was greatly appreciated.
One of the things I enjoyed most was the variety of accounts and people I was able to work on and with. Each person I worked with, whether they were an Account Executive or an Account Director, was more than happy to take time to explain and go thorough things with me and let me ask questions, no matter how small and silly (believe me when I say there were a lot of these sorts of questions!).
I’ve also had the opportunity to attend work socials – karaoke and bowling based socials, and also team trips to the pub – which were incredibly fun and a good way to get to know and feel even more part of the time.
Since finishing my internship in October, I have been able to use the skills and ideas I learnt to carry myself forward into an Account Executive role which has given me the confidence and an opportunity to find and explore my interests. So, if you want an internship that is interesting, topical, challenging (in a good way, I promise) and with a lovely group of people, I could not recommend this internship highly enough.
To find out more about life at MHP Group, visit our careers site.
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