Health Care Regulation (HCR) works to ensure Texans receive safe, reliable health care by licensing providers, conducting inspections, investigating complaints, and developing the policies and rules that govern health care facilities and professionals.
The Policies Rules Unit (PRU) provides support to the HCR department by creating and maintaining department policies, rules, forms, webpages, provider guidance, staff guidance, and other work products. PRU also assists with external and internal stakeholder inquiries, provides rule and statute interpretation, analyzes bills during session, implements legislation, and supports Sunset activities.
This internship provides hands-on experience in public policy, government operations, healthcare regulation, and knowledge management. Interns will contribute to projects involving policy and rule research, document development, data analysis, process mapping, and organizational improvement while gaining exposure to the regulatory functions of a large state agency.
This position is unpaid and temporary.
Learning Objectives:
An intern may choose from the following learning objectives.
● Conduct research and analyze information from a variety of sources to support policy, regulatory, operational, or organizational initiatives.
● Organize and manage information resources using established knowledge management, documentation, and records management practices.
● Develop professional written communication skills by creating, editing, and presenting information for a variety of audiences.
● Apply data and technology tools to support information management, reporting, process improvement, and decision-making activities.
● Gain practical experience in government operations and healthcare regulation while contributing to projects that support organizational effectiveness and continuous improvement.
Internship Projects:
Because there are many projects and opportunities available for an intern, the team can curate the experience to the intern’s interests, experience, and field of study. Projects may include:
● Support rulemaking projects through research, citation verification, definition management, internal cross-references, plain-language review, etc.
● Support development of policies, guidance documents, forms, and other work products through outlining, editing, summarizing, content review, etc.
● Consolidate team knowledge and resources into the team. This may include process documentation and workflow mapping.
● Support SharePoint site reorganization, content management, and information architecture improvements.
● Develop regulatory reference tools, including identifying relevant regulations and statutes and crosswalks linking statutes, rules, guidance, and related resources.
● Create provider type, project, and issue profiles that summarize key requirements, timelines, historical context, and major decisions.
● Develop a spreadsheet inventory of publications, resources, and reference materials, with relevant metadata and authority citations.
● Build and maintain repositories of definitions, terminology, and frequently used regulatory references.
● Support data analysis, performance measurement, dashboard development, and other process improvement initiatives.
● Analyze historical inquiries, correspondence, and project data to identify trends, common topics, and opportunities for improvement.
● Develop reference materials, glossaries, and knowledge-management tools related to healthcare regulation, legislation, rulemaking, and agency operations.
Internship Deliverables:
Because there are several opportunities available for an intern, the team can curate the experience to the intern’s interests, experience, and field of study. Deliverables may include:
● Edited rule project(s)
● Edited or outlined policies and work product(s)
● PRU Handbook additions
● SharePoint website reconfiguration
● Document of statutes, regulations, and guidance relevant to each provider type with crosswalks
● Provider type, project, and/or issue fact sheets
● Publication inventory spreadsheet
● Definition repository additions
● Metrics or performance dashboard
● Inquiry analysis report and improvement recommendations
● Glossary of terminology
EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS
Preferred fields of study: Public Administration, Public Policy, Political Science, Government, Health Policy, Health Administration, Public Affairs, English, Data Analytics, Information Science, or a related field. Candidates from other disciplines may be considered if they demonstrate strong research, writing, analytical, or organizational experience.
Graduate students preferred.
QUALIFICATIONS
● Strong written and verbal communication skills.
● Strong research and analytical skills.
● Attention to detail and accuracy.
● Ability to organize and manage large amounts of information.
● Ability to prioritize tasks and manage multiple assignments.
● Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a professional environment.
Preferred qualifications:
● Experience conducting policy, regulatory, legal, academic, or business research.
● Experience editing, proofreading, or creating professional documents.
● Experience organizing information, records, or knowledge-management resources.
● Experience with data analysis, reporting, or dashboard development.
● Experience creating process documentation, workflow diagrams, or reference materials.
● Experience with SharePoint or other content management systems.
LOCATION AND COMMITMENT
● Hybrid (both in-person and virtual options)
● Approximately 20 hours per week
● Anticipated duration: August through December