Hello! My name is Sebastian and I am a current junior from Colombia/Brazil. I am studying Industrial and Operations Engineering (IOE) with an intended double minor in Computer Science and International Studies. I’m still trying to figure out exactly what it is that I want to do with my future career but working at CHEPS has definitely opened my eyes to the possibilities associated with healthcare.
I had interned as an Industrial Engineer at Walt Disney World earlier this year and absolutely fell in love with the idea behind optimizing various business processes and facilitating improved operations. To give some context, Industrial Engineers at Disney function very similarly to internal business consultants, helping drive organizational change across various clients and departments. The unprecedented arrival of the coronavirus pandemic then led me to question whether it was possible to combine these personal interests of mine along with a burning desire to have a greater health-related impact. This constant questioning resulted in some great conversations with close friends about the kind of work that goes on at CHEPS, after which I was determined to learn more about how to get connected and have that sort of impact.
That being said, I’m very grateful to say that this is my first semester at CHEPS! I’m working on two separate provider scheduling projects: Shift Scheduling and Block Scheduling. I’m sure that some of the other CHEPS blogs will cover the project fundamentals in a more detailed manner, but in case you’re interested they involve using integer programming models to meet the many needs involved in scheduling practitioners. On top of that, I’ve recently been assigned to help out with a COVID-19 related project that is super interesting – all in all, I can confidently say that my short time here so far has been fantastic. There is definitely a steep learning curve and working in a virtual environment is interesting, to say the least, but the CHEPS family truly does a fantastic job in making everyone feel welcome. No questions are bad questions, and people truly care about how you are doing in spite of everything that is going on.
I am genuinely excited by the fact that I still have a lot to learn and am confident that my experiences at CHEPS will teach me many invaluable lessons that I will carry with me throughout my life. Although my time here has been short, I have forged some very close friendships with many people whom I would have otherwise not met. I feel so fortunate to have the opportunity to work at CHEPS, and I hope to someday soon be able to meet all the wonderful people that I’ve connected with in person!