Su Ah Kim, COL ’26, Honolulu, HI
This summer, I had the opportunity to intern at Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) as part of their consulting rotational program. Over the course of ten weeks, I worked on two very different projects—one with a large health system and the other with a smaller youth therapy provider. These experiences gave me a front-row seat to the challenges and rewards of the unique US healthcare system, and taught me how much impact this consulting work can have on both business performance and patient care.
My first project was with UofL Health, A&M’s largest health transformation engagement in history. I joined right after the assessment phase wrapped up, which meant I was immediately part of the execution. I worked closely with the Transformation Management Office (TMO), a team responsible for coordinating across all service lines involved in the project, for example revenue cycle, pharmacy, and finance. My tasks ranged from tracking budgets to building education decks that helped staff navigate changes, to drafting communication plans that aligned stakeholders. Seeing how all the moving pieces fit together underscored just how critical change management is in ensuring a transformation succeeds—not just on paper, but in the day-to-day lives of providers and patients.
My second project took me to the other end of the spectrum: Sandstone, a small private youth therapy service. Here, the service line was revenue cycle management (RCM). I helped update cash flows and budgets, strengthened my Excel skills, and became familiar with software like KUPI. I also joined internal meetings to observe how consultants engaged with client leadership. This project highlighted the very different set of challenges that smaller providers face, especially when it comes to financial sustainability.
Looking back, this summer was incredibly eye-opening. I learned that healthcare consulting isn’t just about crunching numbers or optimizing processes—it’s about striking the delicate balance between financial stability and delivering the best possible care to patients. The reality is that the tension between business goals and patient outcomes will always exist, but it’s also what makes the work meaningful. I left A&M not just with stronger technical skills, but with a deeper appreciation for the tangible impact consulting can have on healthcare systems big and small.
This is part of a series of posts by recipients of the 2025 Career Services Summer Funding Grant. We’ve asked funding recipients to reflect on their summer experiences and talk about the industries in which they spent their summer. You can read the entire series here
