As part of the Interprofessional Internship Program, medical student Megan Axberg partnered with Allina Health to support an initiative focused on improving nurse wellbeing through employee-centered interventions. Mikalyn Frye, BSN Candidate from the School of Nursing, and Clare Lechner, MPH Candidate from the School of Public Health, also contributed to the project. The project evaluated outcomes such as compassion fatigue, job satisfaction, and turnover, while identifying barriers to implementation, with the goal of expanding the program across health care systems.
She emphasized the growing need for initiatives like this as burnout continues to be a persistent challenge in health care. She also shared that her favorite part of the internship was working with a diverse interprofessional team of students, nurse specialists, researchers, and spiritual care professionals.
Through this experience, Axberg developed collaboration skills and program evaluation while deepening her understanding of structural approaches to addressing burnout and supporting the health care workforce.