Every semester, NSC is pleased to welcome one undergraduate student intern who is interested in learning more about what it means to work in Public Relations. While we debated suspending the program until we could be in-person again, we have instead adapted to this virtual world and are pleased to offer a fully virtual internship at this time.
This fall, we were thrilled to welcome Boston College senior Maeve Maloney to NSC! As our latest intern, she’s jumped headfirst into all things social, content, news scanning, and more. Given her interest in our current clients and how quickly she’s been able to integrate into our team, Maeve will be continuing on as our intern this spring. We recently sat down to see how her internship is going so far, and what she’s been able to learn about PR outside the classroom.
Why Healthcare PR?
While my Communications major from BC naturally lends itself to PR, I am also a Biology minor and am incredibly interested in science and all facets of healthcare– probably from my stunt with pre-med early on in my college career. Healthcare PR is a little niche that brings together all of my studies and allows me to work with subject matter that feeds all of my interests.
What have you learned during your time at Next Step?
Being that I had no formal PR experience prior to Next Step, thus far I have been able to witness and dive into all facets of the field. Whether it’s something as simple as a news-scan or using a social media calendar, Next Step has allowed me to strengthen skill sets that are not taught in lectures and cannot truly be understood until put into practice.
What surprised you the most as you dove into PR?
Since diving into PR, I have been most surprised by how far in advance the strategic planning for social and marketing content, client coverage or any possible awards and recognition might be. I think I used to associate PR with more crisis communication than strategic planning. While sometimes crisis communication can be involved, my time here has allowed me to see all the immense work and time that goes towards crafting the best posts, ads, or news stories that can take just a few minutes for the audience to engage with – but may require months of planning.
What was the biggest overall challenge you faced during your internship?
I think the biggest challenge I have faced so far during my internship was adjusting to the combination of the pace and multitasking that is required of me. I like to think of myself as relatively proficient at multitasking when it comes to school work, but the internship or PR, in general, requires me to be constantly on top of the progression of projects, looking ahead and being proactive on items that haven’t even necessarily been started yet, and all the while continuing to complete daily tasks. There is always something else to do, and that has definitely been an interesting but welcomed adjustment.
What are you most proud of so far?
So far, I am most proud of the blogs I have written for Next Step’s website. To be able to have my own words promoted and associated with such an established and successful brand like Next Step is an amazing feeling. On the more practical side, engaging with these blogs has allowed me to really strengthen my writing within this genre which is not something often crafted in school, but something that will be essential for work moving forward.
What is your (planned) #NextStep after graduation?
In an ideal world I will continue a career in Healthcare PR, preferably in New York or Boston. Of course, like all soon-to-be-grads, the COVID cloud is certainly on my mind. All of this is subject to who gives me a job and if COVID hasn’t impacted the opportunities for entry-level jobs in my sector.
Favorites:
Beverage: Coffee Diet Coke (guilty pleasure that I should definitely resolve to quit in 2021)
Book: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Movie: Love Rosie, Just Go With It— basically any cheesy romantic comedy
Activity: Spinning
Type of cheese: Manchego or Parmesan
