Take a Peek Into The Excitement of An Internship at OHLN!

It has been almost three months since the One Health Young Leaders Independent Campus Certified Internship program began. So many things have been done during this internship at INDOHUN, from attending a series of lectures and doing assignments to participating in internship activities in the OHLN (One Health Laboratory Network) division which are still ongoing. The internship in the OHLN division was attended by six students from various disciplines, namely Anastasia Rouli Alodia (Environmental Health), Asma Fauziyah Baihaqi (Pharmacy), Joice Laurentina (Chemistry), Fredella Sylvania Aurelia (Chemistry), Michelle Evelina Husada (Biotechnology), and Maria Elisabeth Nadia (Biotechnology).

During this internship in the OHLN division, we were guided by a mentor, Agus Heri Setiawan, SKM, MPH. In order to be able to do the task well, Agus encouraged us to have a basic understanding of the initiative background of OHLN, the framework on the role of laboratories in global, national, and subnational disease early detection efforts by reading regulations, standards, guidelines, SOP, and activity reports related to the past and current project. Not only reading, but we were also assigned to put what we understood into summaries, mind mapping, and PowerPoint slides. All assignments were divided into individual work and group work. Working individually allowed us to understand in detail what we were learning, while working in groups helped us learn discussion, problem-solving, decision-making, leadership, and time management.

While deepening our basic understanding, we were also invited to attend various internal project meetings. First, the weekly meeting, which is the OHLN division meeting held every week. At this meeting, we discussed comprehensively the tasks to be done and the progress of the tasks that have been done. We felt immensely facilitated in doing the tasks because we were also guided by the OHLN division officers, who were very kind and friendly. The officers often provide evaluations, suggestions, and constructive criticism of our work. Second, monthly meetings, which are held every month and attended by all INDOHUN executives and officers. Similar to the weekly meeting, this meeting also discusses and evaluates projects that will, are, and have been implemented by each division in INDOHUN. This meeting lets us know how each division coordinates its projects. In addition to attending weekly and monthly meetings within INDOHUN, we were also invited to participate in meetings with South East Asia One Health University Network (SEAOHUN) and various other INDOHUN partnerships. Through this meeting, we could directly see how INDOHUN’s role in working on international projects with multiple teams of experts.

By attending the meetings, we realized that the project’s success depends on individual abilities and the team’s ability to apply the 4Cs (communication, coordination, collaboration, and cooperation). Effective communication allows individuals to understand their respective goals and responsibilities in project work. Good coordination enables the team and stakeholders to identify and solve problems effectively and efficiently. Good collaboration and cooperation can make the project run smoothly and create healthy stakeholder relationships.

In assisting the project handled by the OHLN division, we were allowed to participate in making factsheets. We made this factsheet with the guidance of a mentor and officers of the OHLN division. In addition to helping with projects handled by the OHLN division, we are also given the responsibility of managing OHLN’s official website and social media. Five Instagram content and four articles have been published on the OHLN website. OHLN mentors and officers always evaluate all articles, content, and factsheets to avoid errors before being published on the website and social media. With this assignment, we can develop the creativity of the work created through articles, social media content, and factsheets. 

During this division internship, we learned a lot and developed ourselves through assignments and meetings. The excitement and various activities carried out in the OHLN division are lived with fun so that the division internship can run smoothly.