About the Role
We are seeking an organized and proactive Patient Experience Intern to join our dental practice in Santa Monica. This is an in-person internship designed for someone interested in gaining hands-on experience in healthcare administration, patient experience, business operations, and people operations. The intern will work closely with our Front Desk Manager and Patient Engagement Coordinator to support the day-to-day operations of the practice and help ensure that every patient receives a welcoming, organized, and seamless experience. This position is ideal for someone who enjoys working with people, is comfortable balancing multiple projects, and wants exposure to both the patient-facing and behind-the-scenes operations of a healthcare practice.
Key Responsibilities
Patient Experience & Front Office Support
• Welcome patients as they enter the office and assist with patient check-in.
• Support the Front Desk Manager with daily front-office operations and patient flow.
• Answer incoming phone calls, route messages, and assist with general patient inquiries in a professional and courteous manner.
• Assist with appointment scheduling, confirmations, and other patient communications.
• Help maintain an organized, welcoming, and professional front-office environment.
• Provide additional front-desk coverage and administrative support during busy periods.
New Patient & Patient Engagement Support
• Assist the Patient Engagement Coordinator with the new patient onboarding process to help create a smooth and positive patient experience.
• Communicate with new and existing patients via phone, email, and text regarding registration forms, appointments, records, and other required information.
• Help ensure patient information is accurately entered and maintained within the practice's Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system.
Administrative & Practice Operations
• Assist with processing medical and dental records and preparing patient charts.
• Perform administrative tasks including data entry, scanning, filing, faxing, document organization, and record maintenance.
• Help identify outstanding administrative items and assist the team with follow-up to prevent workflow backlogs.
• Maintain patient confidentiality and follow all HIPAA and practice privacy requirements.
• Assist with special projects related to patient experience, practice operations, and employee engagement as assigned.
What You'll Learn
This internship provides hands-on exposure including:
• Patient experience and relationship management
• Healthcare administration and office operations
• New patient intake and onboarding
• Electronic medical record management
• Professional patient communication
• Insurance and authorization processes
• HIPAA and patient confidentiality
As the intern becomes comfortable with the practice, there will be opportunities to take greater ownership of administrative and patient engagement responsibilities.
Qualifications
• Currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program.
• Interest in healthcare administration, business, psychology, human resources, healthcare management, communications, or a related field preferred.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Friendly, professional, and comfortable interacting with patients in person and over the phone.
• Highly organized with strong attention to detail.
• Dependable and able to manage multiple responsibilities in a fast-paced environment.
• Comfortable learning new technology and administrative systems.
• Ability to handle confidential information with professionalism and discretion.
• Previous customer service, administrative, healthcare, or front-office experience is helpful but not required.
Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate is warm, dependable, detail-oriented, and eager to learn. They are someone who notices when something needs to be done and is comfortable stepping in to help. Because this role works across both patient-facing and administrative functions, adaptability and communication are especially important. Our goal is to provide meaningful, hands-on experience while allowing the intern to become a valuable part of our practice team.
