Emma Keenan, a senior majoring in health science, completed an internship at Bretton Trova, a healthcare recruitment company that focuses on personalized support for nurses.
Emma started her internship in the spring semester of her junior year after connecting with one of BrenttonTrova’s representatives, Erin, at Merrimack’s Professional Development Retreat (PDR). During the PDR, Emma and Erin discussed what options were available for Emma’s career in health science.
Erin made Emma aware of the business aspects of healthcare, including job searches, data entry, administrative tasks and recruitment. This conversation with Erin opened Emma’s eyes to the variety of options available to someone with an exercise science degree. With Erin’s guidance at the PDR, Emma got to see a different side of healthcare degrees.
Following the PDR, Erin stayed in touch with Emma and ultimately offered her an internship at BrettonTrova. “It kinda just fell into my lap,” Emma said.
She worked directly with the BrettonTrova team, scheduling calls, managing job postings, organizing data, and even doing some content design work.
Emma gained several skills during her internship, highlighting “learning to see healthcare as a business and how fulfilling it is to help complete the cycle for nurses looking for jobs.” She also acquired skills in sales and customer service while assisting nurses to close deals.
When asked what advice Emma would give other students looking for an internship, she said, “Be confident and take the steps to practice and develop your learning.” Emma also could not recommend the PDR event enough, saying it helped her learn how to have a conversation with an employer and how to stand out in a group.
While Emma prepares to graduate in the spring of 2026, she is thankful for the internship experience at BrettonTrova, and she has learned she would like to pursue a career in the business side of healthcare.
