Sustainability Fall Semester 2026 Intern

Your focus through the semester will be to evaluate the environmental and financial impact of delivering care through Hospital at Home (H@H) compared to a traditional acute hospital stay. You will complete a Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) to measure differences in energy use, supply consumption, transportation emissions, and overall carbon footprint between the two care models as well as map end to end workflows for both inpatient and H@H care to identify carbon “hot spots,” operational inefficiencies, and opportunities to standardize more sustainable processes. Using these findings, you will develop sustainability standards and measurable metrics, such as energy use per patient day, supply utilization, waste generation, and avoided travel emissions—aligning with ongoing Advocate Health sustainability work (e.g., home vs. hospital energy and supply comparisons, patient mileage reduction metrics). You will build a financial model showing cost differences, resource efficiencies, and potential revenue benefits such as improved bed capacity and reduced variable costs in H@H programs.

Essential Functions

• Performs duties including patient and family visits, delivery of support services, studies, investigations, research projects, and other assignments.

• Provides administrative coverage of the office such as answering phone and maintaining computer data. Types documents such as letters and creates spreadsheets and presentations.

• Assists with research projects, data analysis, and/or creating various reports.

• Assists with entering data and filing.

• Will work to build out a proposal

• Communicates verbally and in writing with all levels within the System and with the public.

Education, Experience and Certifications

• GED or equivalent, Undergraduate, Master's or Postgraduate enrollment required.

Preferred:

• Student currently in Master's track in Medicine, Nursing, MBA, Sustainability, MHA

Skills/Experience:

• Excellent planning, prioritizing, oral/written communication, interpersonal, problem solving, and team skills required.

• Ability to work collaboratively as a team member and ability to respond creatively to a rapidly changing environment required.

• Computer skills required.

Physical Requirements

• Work requires walking, sitting, lifting and reaching overhead. Must be able to lift a minimum of 10 pounds, shoulder height.

• Must be able to push patients in wheelchairs or supplies on a rolling cart.

• Intact sense of sight and hearing is required.

• Responsible for working in a safe manner.