Innovation internship puts learning into action

I write this in the penultimate week of my role as Global Network Innovation Intern at New Hanover Regional Medical Center (NHRMC) in Wilmington, North Carolina as part of the Saltire Scholar programme.

The Saltire Scholar programme provides fully funded internships around the world with well-recognised firms to high-potential penultimate year Scottish university students. Applicants are selected on their wider skill-set and experience, and they do not look at your grades during the application process, making it a highly accessible programme.

The Saltire Scholar programme is not just an internship, it means joining a community of like-minded individuals - a network of people that will help you through your remaining academic studies and wider career. The programme also provides invaluable mentors and access to a pool of talent with a genuine interest in personal development, which few internships offer. The ambassador aspect of the programme also differentiates Saltire internships from others as it allows you to promote the programme to other students and provides you with further opportunities to grow through invitations to events and workshops provided by Entrepreneurial Scotland.

When I first started my internship, I was met with a 'brain dump' with the background of a selection of thirty projects all at different stages of development and different backgrounds. This was very overwhelming and for quite some time I found myself reading and reading (and reading) trying to get up to speed. Now in my penultimate week, I have a new-found confidence in my own abilities and ideas. Everyone in my host company has been extremely generous to me – from advice and support to weekend recommendations and lunch plans, and most valuably their time.

My job as an innovation intern is based in TekMountain – a start-up incubator ten minutes from the beach, and I think myself lucky to work somewhere so edgy and collaborative. Think of the Google offices – there’s hammocks, swing chairs, a free bar (with snacks), food trucks, free Friday paddle boarding and surf rentals/lessons, free Tuesday lunch with inspiring talks, and a ‘rec room’ with table tennis, bean bags, air hockey and skee ball for when it all gets a bit much.

Whilst I study Economics, I have been exposed to an array of business subjects through the breadth of Strathclyde Business School. This knowledge has helped me throughout my time at NHRMC - from a better understanding of business models to the ability to analyse financial data. It's been really beneficial to see the practical application of work from university that I once thought was trivial in the real world. This applied understanding will also be useful going into my final year.

Having already done a number of road trips, this week I am exploring Charleston and Savanna, and next week I am off to Boston. My time abroad living with other scholars has allowed me to explore areas of the USA I wouldn’t have otherwise, thanks to the flexibility I have been given by my host company. The ‘real world’ of work does not have to be the 9-5 office job we are taught to go into – my host company has allowed me to choose my own hours and workplace, as long as I make my meetings. My department director Chris insists that ‘you are always self-employed first.’ I return to Strathclyde for my final year with a new appreciation for all it has to offer, and a new drive to succeed.

About Lee Buchanan

Lee Buchanan is a final year student at the University of Strathclyde Business School studying Economics with Business Analysis and Technology.