Growing a Career from the Ground Up

Ella Gebhart’s hands-on internship shows how donor support helps students explore careers while preparing Mary Greeley’s future workforce

A well-maintained hospital campus does more than create a positive first impression. Thoughtful outdoor spaces can calm patients, welcome families, and provide employees with a refreshing place to step away during a demanding day.

This summer, Iowa State University student Ella Gebhart has played a leading role in caring for those spaces as Mary Greeley Medical Center’s first groundskeeping intern.

A junior majoring in horticulture with an emphasis in landscape design, Ella has spent her internship mulching, weeding and maintaining landscaping across the campus. She has also been trusted with larger design assignments, including reimagining and installing new landscaping in the medical center’s fifth-floor rooftop garden.

“I got to redesign and then install the design,” Ella says. “It’s really about making Mary Greeley’s campus look as nice as it can for patients and employees.”

Learning by Doing

Ella found the opportunity while searching for a summer internship near her Ames home. Although a hospital was not the most obvious destination for a horticulture student, the position offered an opportunity to apply what she had learned in the classroom to projects with a visible, lasting impact.

From the beginning, Mary Greeley’s Facilities Management team gave her meaningful responsibility and room to make decisions.

“They’ve really given me a lot of independence,” Ella says of the team in Facilities Management. “They’ve been trusting right off the bat. I make a list of the things I think need to be done on a regular basis around the medical center, and I have worked with the staff in the Foundation on a few different beautification projects that are a priority for them.”

That trust was intimidating initially. Mary Greeley’s high standards motivated Ella to deliver work that reflected well on the organization. She soon realized, however, that independence did not mean working alone. Her coworkers, supervisor, and Iowa State professors were available whenever she needed advice.

“The couple years of schooling I’ve completed have really helped me get to the place I am now and prepared me for the work I’m doing,” she says. “Now getting this practical experience has been invaluable.”

Mary Greeley Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Penny Bellville says this blend of responsibility and support is exactly what makes internships valuable.

“It is rewarding to see students like Ella gain meaningful, hands-on experience at Mary Greeley,” Bellville says. “Our interns are not simply observing - they are contributing ideas, leading projects, and applying their talents in ways that make a real impact. Experiences like this help students explore career possibilities while building skills and confidence for the future.”

More Than Doctors and Nurses

Ella’s internship has also expanded her understanding of what it takes to operate a medical center. Before joining the Facilities Management team, she primarily associated hospital careers with physicians and nurses. Her experience has introduced her to the many clinical and non-clinical professionals whose work supports patient care.

“I never really considered all the different roles it takes to support a medical center,” she says. “Seeing what all of my coworkers do for Mary Greeley proves that delivering healthcare takes all different types of people with all different types of skills.”

That discovery is central to Mary Greeley’s internship program. The medical center offers part-time and full-time opportunities during spring, summer, and fall semesters in both clinical and non-clinical departments. Interns gain hands-on experience, strengthen communication and leadership skills, and complete meaningful departmental projects. Many have gone on to accept permanent roles at Mary Greeley.

The Mary Greeley Foundation supports the internship program as part of its broader commitment to workforce development. Since the organization-wide program was introduced in 2022, internships have connected students from several colleges and universities with real-world experiences tied to needs across the medical center.

“Preparing the future workforce starts by investing in students today,” Bellville says. “The Foundation’s vision and donor support create opportunities for students to explore careers, gain practical experience, and build meaningful connections with Mary Greeley. Those experiences benefit students while helping us develop a strong pipeline of future talent to serve our community.”

A Place to Grow

Beyond the projects she has completed, Ella says the people she interacts with on the job have defined her experience. Her Facilities Management colleagues regularly check in, offer assistance, and encourage her success. She has also connected with interns working in other departments through organized activities, networking opportunities, and events with medical center leaders.

“I think the employees here are really what makes it a great place to work,” Ella says. “They’re interested in helping me succeed.”

The internship was initially scheduled to conclude when Ella returned to Iowa State for the fall semester, but conversations have already begun about extending it around her classes. That would allow her to continue preparing the medical center landscaping for the changing seasons while gaining additional professional experience.

For a student who was born at Mary Greeley and grew up nearby, the internship has offered a new view of a familiar organization. She arrived hoping to strengthen her landscape design skills. She now leaves each day with a broader understanding of healthcare, greater confidence in her abilities, and proof that her chosen field can take her places she had not previously imagined.

And across the Mary Greeley campus, patients, visitors, and employees can see the results taking root.

Internships With Purpose

Mary Greeley Medical Center offers paid, part-time and full-time internships for college students during the spring, summer, and fall semesters. Opportunities are available in clinical and non-clinical departments, helping students explore the wide range of professions required to operate a regional medical center.

Each intern is provided with:

• Meaningful, hands-on professional experience
• Guidance from experienced Mary Greeley employees
• A departmental project tied to organizational goals
• Opportunities to develop communication and leadership skills
• Professional development and networking with fellow interns and medical center leaders

Supported by donors through the Mary Greeley Foundation, the program is designed to benefit students and the medical center alike. Students gain practical experience and valuable career connections, while Mary Greeley develops relationships with talented young professionals who may become future employees.

Interested in our internships?