Health services administration alum Jose Araneta now works for Orlando Health as a manager in medical staff services. (Photo by Natalie Fedor)
When health services administration alum Jose Araneta ’14 was an intern, the skills and knowledge he gained from the experience were standout memories of his early professional journey. Now, he’s helping current UCF students build that same foundation for themselves.
Araneta is in his ninth year working for Orlando Health, where he currently oversees daily operations of the medical staff services department among multiple locations, including Health Central and Horizon West hospitals as well as related freestanding units.
During his internship at UCF, he worked for Kids Beating Cancer, a nonprofit organization that provides access to life-saving treatments for children diagnosed with cancer, funding pediatric cancer research for improved outcomes, moving new discoveries to patient care, all while supporting children and their families throughout the journey to a cure. One of his favorite memories from the internship was that he and two other interns helped with planning a new annual charity fundraising event called “Jump for a Cure” at a local trampoline park. He’s also remained in contact with his former preceptor.
“I have very fond memories of the internship,” he says. “I took a lot from it, like my networking skills, and it helped bridge certain gaps into future roles that I ended up taking. Now, I’m in a position of management where I can create my own program for interns, which has been a lot of fun.”
Working for a large healthcare system that continues to grow, Araneta says he has had many leaders who have inspired him in his journey. These experiences made him want to share his knowledge with other future leaders in healthcare.
“I started working with the internship program at UCF about six years ago, beginning with having one graduate intern every semester,” he says. “Every semester after, I just continued to build on that. At one point last semester, I was the preceptor to three interns at once, and I started working with undergraduates. We’ve even hired two or three past interns within the department, and a couple others got jobs within the organization. Others who have kept in touch with me are in fellowships and other great roles. It’s been awesome to be a part of their journeys.”
His role involves credentialing the physicians and advanced practice professionals who are joining the hospital and handling daily operations of the medical staff services department, which operates similarly to a human resources role for physicians and advanced-practice professions. He also works with a separate team that typically involves handling ongoing department meetings, monthly provider orientations, mass communications to the physicians, and helping bridge and connect physicians to the administration and future goals of the organization.
The interns get many different experiences throughout their internships, from visiting many of the Orlando Health locations in Central Florida to meeting different leadership teams, assisting with research projects, and learning what goes into onboarding and credentialing providers.
“Last semester, one of my interns was on his first day, just setting up his email, when the president of the hospital walked in," Araneta says. “I tell my interns to always be on their A game because you never know who is going to pop in, or if they could potentially be your future boss and you can make a good impression.”
Some of the other wisdom he tries to impart to the interns he works with is to remain open to new opportunities and prioritize gaining knowledge and finding work that interests them.
“It’s so important to find passion and gratification in the work that you do,” Araneta says. “Also, remember that growth happens in many ways, and it’s not always about chasing a certain role or pay. I want the students to just always remember to be open and look for possibilities of growth in knowledge, because you never know where you’ll find your happiness.”
Kourtney Nieves, health services administration internship director and associate lecturer in the School of Global Health Management and Informatics, says Araneta has been instrumental in providing guidance to the next generation of healthcare administrators.
“Jose has been a champion to help our health services administration students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels,” she says. “He has visited to talk to our students about internship opportunities at Orlando Health and share his journey. He is very passionate about giving back and helping grow the next group of healthcare administrators.”