Photo: Joshua is on the left.

A Summer with Northwell – My Journey in the Software Engineering Internship Program

Written by: Joshua Zeitlinger, Software Engineer Intern, Stevens Institute of Technology

As a computer science student at Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey, I began searching for a summer internship opportunity where I could enhance and apply my software engineering skills. I was excited when I found out that Northwell wanted to have an interview with me for the Software Engineering internship. While many in the tech field lust after the likes of Google and Facebook, or dream of working for the next big startup and IPO, the chance to use my skills on tangible problems in healthcare, to positively impact the lives of clinicians and patients was exactly what I was looking for.

During the interview with the Northwell Emerging Technology & Innovation (NETI) team they explained that they are tasked with and given the freedom to find and explore innovative solutions to the most pressing problems in healthcare, primarily through technology and software solutions. When I was offered the internship, I made one of the soundest decisions of my young career by saying yes.

When I started the internship, I was immersed into a week-long extensive orientation and acquainted with the Nora Standalone App, my project for the summer. The Nora Standalone App was envisioned to allow clinicians quicker and easier, secure mobile-based access to patient’s clinical results, reducing the burden and complexity of electronic medical records using modern, and cutting edge technologies. Placed entirely under the internship program, the intern as a whole would own the project from inception to pilot, an unbelievably unique and valuable experience for an intern.

Starting my second week, I had the chance to participate in every part of the software process, beginning with sprint planning and writing user stories. I wrote both back-end and front-end code, as well as unit and integration testing. Skilled and helpful software engineers were available at every step of the process, encouraging best practices, helping me to resolve blocking issues, and suggesting ways to write cleaner code. I particularly enjoyed the weekly code reviews, which packed nearly limitless amounts of useful tips into less than an hour’s worth of time.

From our comfortable and modern office conveniently located in midtown Manhattan, we made visits to several Northwell facilities. I saw clinicians in action at the Lenox Health Greenwich Village, operators taking 911 calls at the Center for Emergency Management and nurses and doctors checking in on patients at Northwell’s eICU hub in Syosset, NY. Frequent Lunch and Learn sessions also afforded me the valuable opportunity to hear from leadership. These engaging and collaborative discussions allowed me to ask questions, make professional connections, and present my work.

I could not have asked for a better internship experience. I had the chance to own my own project, touching every part of the software development process, all while learning more about the organization and healthcare. The incredible experience I had with the NETI team has opened my eyes to the boundless opportunities open to software engineers at Northwell. I think it is safe to say that Northwell should absolutely should be on your list for the next internship or job search!