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For many college students, seeking internships can be stressful. They’re juggling classes and may already be working part-time jobs. And graduation is looming so it’s important to find an internship that’ll help them chart a career course.

At BlueCross our goal is to attract qualified candidates who represent the next generation of thought leaders.

BlueCross offers internships year-round. These start at $15 an hour, provide health benefits, and allow perks such as work-from-home flexibility.

You may be thinking, “I’m not interested in a career in health care or insurance.” Know that BlueCross internships offer more than insurance experience. We hire around 100 interns per year in areas of technology, business and finance, communications, medical services, and more. 

“Through an internship with BlueCross, a student gains real-world life experience and on-the-job training,” says Shunyale Douglas, principal recruiter.

“Interns train not just with fellow students and mentors, but with supervisors, directors and VPs. They’re not filing folders, getting coffee or making travel arrangements for someone. They’re assigned projects with concrete deadlines.”

This is where the mentorship aspect is so crucial. Interns have real responsibility and are invited to department meetings and one-on-one sessions. They’re also partnered with supervisors who guide and support them every step of the way.

“Interns get to network and use those opportunities to their advantage when an entry-level position opens up,” Shunyale says. “Even if they don’t continue their career at BlueCross once their internship is complete, they still have industry contacts here and can seek their advice.”

The basics

BlueCross internships are open to junior- and senior-year college students with a GPA of at least 2.75. Historically, summer internships were the norm, as most applicants were on summer break and in between semesters. Like many other companies, our workforce shifted to a hybrid work-from-home/in-office model. This made fall internships more compatible with both student schedules and our needs as a company.

If you’ve graduated within the last two years of the posting date, you’re also eligible. Internships are paid based on your class standing. Internships typically last 90 days but can be extended  based on performance and department needs.

Common intern majors include:

• Accounting
• Business (administration and management)
• Communication (marketing and organizational)
• Computer science and information systems
• English
• Finance
• Graphic design
• Marketing

Careers we often hire for include:

• Information services (IS/IT) — application developers, programmers, business system developers, infrastructure and security analysts, end-user specialists, medical informatics managers, data scientists, biostatisticians, research analysts, reporting solution consultants
• Clinical and medical services — registered nurses, site and field case managers, clinical quality consultants, utilization review analysts, physician office care coordinators, clinical social workers
• Finance and accounting — tax analysts, accounts payable/receivable consultants

We also hire in the areas of customer service, human resources, marketing and communications, legal and fraud investigation.

Kerrington’s story

For more than one BlueCross intern, their experience has meant the beginning of a career journey. Kerrington Wilson began his internship in April 2019 while a student at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He went on to join the company as a research coordinator on our data analytics team.

“In middle school, I thought I was going to be a mechanical engineer — I was dead set on it,” Kerrington recalls. “I went to engineering camp all around the country. And come high school, I took an engineering class. Within three weeks, I knew that wasn’t what I wanted to do.”

Kerrington knew he had to reassess. He landed on business and was interested in the logistical side. UTC didn’t have a logistics-aimed major. So he chose business management, thinking he could get a more specified master’s degree later.

“After my sophomore year, I kept seeing articles about data analytics and hearing about it from different people,” he says. “I researched it and liked the idea of taking all these numbers and information and organizing them in a way that everybody can understand and use. Data can tell a story that you would never think could emerge from that connection of seemingly random numbers and figures.”

Even though Kerrington knew he’d be working side by side with BlueCross employees, he was still surprised by the amount of responsibility he was given as a new intern.

“My first day as an intern, I was told, ‘Here’s the project we want you to take on,’” he recalls. “I was treated like a part of the team and actually doing real work.”

“It was humbling just because there was so much I didn’t know. But it was also cool to see they trusted me to get the work done and were there with me every step of the way.  Since then my knowledge has grown tremendously. If I could talk to me three years ago, I’d say, ‘Wow, you don’t know anything … but you will.’”

After completing his internship and graduating from UTC, Kerrington joined BlueCross as a research coordinator, a role almost synonymous to data analyst.

“My job is to help organize all of the member data we collect and report on it in a way that helps members across the state,” he says. “For example, I construct reports for group customers to show what programs their people are enrolling in, the resources they’re taking advantage of, and how these programs affect the cost of health care. I also take organized data and display it in graphs and other image forms to help others better understand it.”

One of the most rewarding projects Kerrington’s been part of is helping bring the CareAdvance app to BlueCross. This app connects members to care managers and allows them to enroll in programs like diabetes management and healthy maternity.

“There’s a lot of avenues with analytics that can help people along their health journey,” he says.

“I love seeing how data tells a story, and hopefully I’m playing a small part in some of our members’ stories taking a positive turn.”

Kerrington’s story continues, as well. Today, he’s pursuing his master’s degree of science data analytics at UTC through the BlueCross tuition reimbursement program.

“BlueCross supports me as more than just an employee — they support me as a person,” he says.  “Even if you’re unsure of your career path, BlueCross internships are a great opportunity to figure that out. They take you under their wing and give you real work. And there are definitely job opportunities available, but at the same time they don’t force your hand.”

For more information about available internships at BlueCross, visit bcbst.com/careers.