Jenna Teasdale has just completed her Bachelor of Biomedical Science studies at UWA, majoring in Anatomy and Human Biology, with a Science Communication minor. Over the course of her final semester, she contributed 100 hours as a Marketing and Social Media Intern with Patches Australia through the McCusker Centre for Citizenship, learning about the business of running a community-focussed health care service.
“I had space for one more unit before I graduated and wanted to do something where I could gain real work experience and add extra value to my degree, something that would challenge me and broaden my experience. I had heard great things from friends who had done McCusker Centre internships,” Jenna said.
Jenna created booklets, flyers and social media content to promote the programs and services Patches provides, and also assisted with the development of the organisation’s new website. She reflected on the learning curve that came with this hands-on role:
“This was my first taste of professional life, and an office environment, and I didn’t have previous experience in marketing. I learned I had to take initiative and be proactive, and to be open to receiving feedback and making changes to my work.
“It was rewarding to work on projects to completion, like the parent information booklets for a new Outside School Hours Care program. The health care professionals at Patches make a real difference in the lives of their clients, and the internship gave me appreciation of the importance of raising public awareness for Patches’ services and broadening their reach across the community,” Jenna said.
Dr James Fitzpatrick, Patches CEO, said that Jenna had hit the ground running at the start of her internship, quickly becoming a strong contributor to the team.
“Jenna was professional and punctual, producing work of a very high standard. She took a genuine interest in the work we do at Patches and the benefits for the community, and undertook her role with a clear motivation to make a positive contribution. It was a pleasure to have her as part of the Patches team,” Dr Fitzpatrick said.
With her graduation coming up, Jenna is now looking forward to finding employment where she can put learning from her studies and internship into practice.
“The internship helped me open my eyes to what professional life can look like and gave me insights into the operational side of a healthcare organisation like Patches, which operates across Australia.
“Having this experience under my belt has given me more confidence for my next steps. I am hoping to find work in the science communication field, hopefully something in a health context that relates to my degree and builds on my experience at Patches.”