2 Wildcats Share Their Experience Interning at Brown Health

Experience is the best medicine; that’s why several Johnson & Wales University students intern at Brown University Health, a Rhode Island healthcare system that includes three teaching hospitals. During the Fall 2025 semester Public Health major Aria Coutu ’26 and Health Science major Josh Zangerle '25 developed skills they’ll use as future healthcare practitioners. Here, they share what their Brown Health internships were like.

How Aria Coutu '26 Is on a Path to Nursing

“I am planning to go into nursing, and this internship allows me to collaborate with nurses,” she shares. “It allows me to learn what kind of nurse I want to be.”

Unlike her peers, Coutu didn't have to seek internship experiences in Handshake or from her professors; she was already intimately familiar with the healthcare system. “I actually have worked here for the past three years," explains the Brown Health unit secretary (equivalent to an administrative assistant, but in a fast-paced healthcare setting). "In a meeting with my advisor I found out that it can qualify for my internship because the job entails public health principles that they were looking for in an internship.”

"I always knew I wanted to go into medicine and help people along the way, and through my experience at Brown Health, I have learned so much about myself and what I am capable of,” continues Coutu. “Being a public health major has just amplified what I am passionate about and helped me understand every side of healthcare, and I believe this knowledge will really help me in the future."

What It's Like Day-to-Day for Coutu at Brown Health

“After I am done with classes I go to the hospital, get the report from the previous shift and get right to work,” she explains. “Some tasks I am responsible for include serving as the communication hub for the unit — greeting patients and visitors, answering phones and relaying messages professionally and accurately. I also maintain accurate and up-to-date patient information in electronic health records, including admissions, transfers and discharges.”

Her other duties include managing office and clinical supply inventories; ordering and tracking requisitions; supporting staff scheduling; maintaining educational compliance records; documenting meeting minutes; generating and distributing various reports; and entering and reconciling patient charge data. Overall, Coutu supports the nurse manager and clinical staff in contributing to the well-being of patients.

She also has responsibility for an overarching project that could benefit the whole team. “Currently, I am co-working on an acuity tool to ensure nurses are getting proper and safer assignments,” she explains of her collaborative work with registered nurses who, like Aria, are members of the 3 West Unit Practice Council. “I am hoping for that tool to be utilized by the end of the semester.”

Although she enjoys her work with everyone, Coutu couldn’t resist a shoutout to Hanna Ferreira, OSRN, the former assistant manager of her unit: “She is honestly the kind of nurse I hope to be. She is an amazing leader and overall the sweetest person you’ll ever meet.”

Applying JWU Skills to Coutu’s Brown Health Internship

“I have used a lot of my leadership skills and collaboration skills in my day-to-day problem-solving, especially in the unit,” she shares. “I have also applied working quickly on my feet.”

“Not only do I apply JWU skills to my internship, but I have also applied what I've learned from my internship in the classroom," Coutu adds. "My brain is constantly making connections and drawing conclusions, and I am always thinking of what's next."

Why Coutu Chose JWU

"I wanted to make sure the university I was choosing was the best fit for me and my learning styles,” Coutu explains. “I chose to pursue my degree at JWU because of its strong emphasis on experiential learning and real-world application.”

“Building a reputation with my professors is something I value, and every course and project pushed me to apply what I was learning in meaningful ways,” she adds. “From internships to networking events, JWU provided the tools and experiences that helped me build confidence and find my path. I wanted to be prepared for success, and JWU did exactly that.”

What’s Next for Coutu

This health student has one wish: to stay local after graduating in May and take the next big leap toward her dream job. “For my future, I hope to continue my education here at Johnson & Wales and pursue JWU's Nursing program, applying my public health principles to nursing,” she shares. “I want to ensure that everyone receives the best care.”

How Josh Zangerle ’25 Gained Hands-On Experience with Patients

Like some Wildcats, Zangerle hasn’t had a linear path at JWU; after switching majors twice to pursue his passions, the 2025 graduate walked in May but still had a Fall semester internship to complete. He learned of an internship opportunity with Brown University Health’s rehab department from Senior Experiential Education & Career Advisor Melanie Rainone. “Melanie was very helpful over the summer and gave me a list, and I applied to two mobility/rehabilitative internships,” he shares. “My interview with my supervisor, Liz [note: Liz Clegg, MS, OTR/L, BCPR also works with students in JWU’s Occupational Therapy Doctorate program] at Brown Health went well, and I liked how that internship would be in a patient hospital setting. It felt that’s where I was meant to be; I really wanted exposure to the hospital.” And that’s exactly what he got.

What It Was Like Day-to-Day for Zangerle at Brown Health

Every morning, Zangerle would review the ambulatory intern binder, assessing the patients. “There would be details like their mobility scores to determine which patients are appropriate for interns to work with.”

He began by speaking with each patient’s nurse to gather background and ensure a good fit, then built his list for the day, going room to room to introduce himself and explain why he was there.

“I would ask if they wanted to walk, and for those strongly recommended I would announce it’s time to go for their morning or their post-lunch walk,” he shares. “I would grab a walker or cane if needed and get them up, and we’d walk as far as they could. If they couldn’t walk well, we’d do exercises on the bed, or sit-to-stand, or move on their chair — any variety of exercises depending on their mobility and what they could do. It was a wide range.”

During his internship, he found the whole rehab team at Brown University Health to be a great group to work with. “Everyone was so approachable and willing to help at any time,” he says. “From my supervisor Liz to physical therapist assistant Sheryl to physical therapist Meg, I was just surrounded by amazing people. They would pull me aside like, ‘Hey, do you want to see this patient on a different unit,’ and that was great because I’d get to see a different part of the hospital and do hands-on stuff with different groups of patients. If there was something I hadn’t seen before, I could always ask advice for working with that patient.”

Applying JWU Skills to Zangerle’s Brown Health Internship

“In a broad way, on top of classes, I’ve applied all my skills gained from all my interactions with professors and coaches to this internship,” he notes. “Communication is very important in this setting, and I learned a lot at the hospital but feel I became good at it through my lab classes and through office hours with professors. Learning to communicate clearly is something I was taught at JWU.”

“Ultimately, I feel like if other students want something patient-facing, want to gain experience directly working with people and enhance their skills in a hospital — if they want to be a nurse or physician assistant or occupational therapist or physical therapist, any of these programs at JWU — Brown Health is a great experience,” he advises. “You get great exposure to healthcare, and you can help anyone if you put your best foot forward every day and take advantage of the internship opportunity.”

Why Zangerle Chose JWU

Zangerle’s high school basketball coach alerted him about Johnson & Wales.

“He spoke highly of JWU, and I came out for a visit,” says Zangerle. “The first time I came was in 2021, when COVID was still going on, but I loved Providence. I really liked the idea of coming to school in a smaller city with a really cool community, and JWU had the major I really wanted at the time (Biology). Everything aligned for me to come out to Rhode Island.”

For his first few years at JWU, Zangerle was an active member of the men’s basketball team, even considering going pro. A desire for a sports-related focus led him to switch his major to Sports, Entertainment, Event — Management (SEEM) with a specialization in Sports Management, which he studied for three semesters — until the sciences drew him back.

“I started researching healthcare a lot and wanted to really explore it,” he says. “I had conversations with Dr. Rosler and with my coaches about switching majors again and no one pushed back; they were supportive of me chasing a passion that, unlike basketball, could last forever.”

That brought him to Health Sciences. “I landed here because I wanted to use my personality and certain things about myself to help people,” Zangerle reveals. “I can take my passion, put it in other places and do good things.”

What’s Next for Zangerle

“I want to go to medical school, so I’m studying for the MCAT now,” Zangerle shares. “I’m applying to master’s programs in biomedical science that bridge into doctor of osteopathic medicine (DO) schools. I’m taking two prerequisites to help prepare me for that.”

But don’t worry; Zangerle has plenty to keep him busy outside of studying. “I’m getting a job as a patient care technician in a hospital in my home state of New York to gain more experience,” he says. “I really enjoyed the work and don’t want to be away from it too long.”

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