My supervisors entrusted me with very important work and flexibility to get it done my way. I appreciated this level of autonomy. I also learned so much from the people I was working with, got valuable exposure to very pressing public health issues such as the opioid crisis, the ACA repeals, and the internal House of Delegates meeting. The CEO of the medical association created this internship program herself and took a lot of time out to get to know each of the interns. Travel and lodging to the main headquarters in Chicago was provided by the company and each business trip was a great learning experience and plenty of fun. I was paired with a wonderful mentor as well who I got to know very well, who gave me excellent educational and career advice, and who I got to know deeply on a personal level as well. I made lasting connections.
What I wish was different
One slight drawback to being in DC was that one of my supervisors communicated with me remotely from the Chicago headquarters, and I didn't get to spend as much time with the other interns (it was just myself and one other intern in the DC office). However, being in DC fit my interests the best, I enjoyed my time there, and I had much better access to policy issues and government relations work than the interns who were working out of Chicago.
Advice
Take advantage of all of the opportunities that are opened to you while working at the AOA. Get to know all of the folks you meet there. I spoke to so many doctors, lawyers, policy analysts, and got wonderful career advice and life advice from them in general.
