Overview of the Cardiac Rehabilitation Internship Program
MacNeal Hospital offers an internship in the Cardiac Rehabilitation department for undergraduate and graduate students. At MacNeal, Cardiac Rehab interns will have the opportunity to gain experience in almost every facet of cardiac rehab. Cardiac Rehab interns learn to work with patients in a clinical setting. Activities involve patient assessment, blood pressure measurement, patient education, EKG interpretation, exercise prescription, conduct warm ups and cool downs, strength conditioning workouts, and chart documentation.
We are a hands-on teaching facility. Our focus is on outpatient Cardiac Rehab, working in Phase I, II, and III Cardiac Rehab. Additional observation opportunities include open heart surgery, cardiac catheterizations, stress testing, echocardiography, vascular testing, TEEs, pulmonary function testing, and community health screenings. MacNeal’s Cardiac Rehabilitation program is AACVPR Certified.
Program specifics and requirements
- ACLS certification is offered onsite and can be taken free of charge as an elective during your internship.
- CPR certification is required prior to your start date.
- Undergraduate and Graduate students are accepted for all semesters.
- Interns must be enrolled in a university-required internship program that provides liability insurance. Students cannot apply for internships independently – it must be through a contracted university.
- This internship is unpaid.
- Preference is given to interns that have had an ECG class and experience with taking blood pressure.
- Experience with exercise leadership is a plus.
- Our facility is open Monday through Friday.
Click here to view our brochure.
Applying for the Cardiac Rehab Internship
Please email your resume, cover letter and details on what semester and year you are interested in doing your internship to:
Betsy Hart, MS, ACSM-CEP, CCRP, FAACVPR
Lead Clinical Exercise Physiologist
Manager MacNeal Hospital Cardiac Rehab/SET
University Internship Site Supervisor
3249 S. Oak Park Ave.
Berwyn IL 60402
Phone: 708-783-3302
Betsy.Hart@luhs.org
Testimonials from Past Interns
"As I neared the end of my college journey with a degree in Exercise Science, I was uncertain of what I wanted to pursue as a career. Seeking guidance, my professors at Illinois State University suggested exploring internships in Cardiac Rehab for valuable clinical experience. Through a quick internet search, I discovered MacNeal’s Cardiac Rehab, which was also highly recommended by my professors for Betsy Hart’s profound passion and influential connections in the field. During my internship, I gained many skills, from reading and interpreting EKG strips to actively contributing to individualized treatment plans for patients. I was able to become ACLS certified. I was able to assist and observe rapid responses. Another aspect that truly stood out was the diversity of patients I had the opportunity to work with. The diversity not only enriched my learning experience but also reinforced the importance of modifying healthcare practices to meet the individual needs of the patient population. The experience was transformative, and upon completion, I was offered a position to continue working with the dedicated team at MacNeal hospital. A year of working there not only solidified my professional growth but also revealed my true passion for nursing. This internship shaped me into a more proficient healthcare professional and emphasized the significance of preventative care. I hope to use the skills I learned here once I enter the nursing workforce. I recommend pursuing an internship at MacNeal’s Cardiac Rehab, as it opens doors to numerous opportunities in the healthcare field!"
Emily Reynoso-Romero, CEP
Accelerated Bachelor of Nursing Student
ISU Alumni
"As an intern at MacNeal Cardiac Rehab, you will become a true medical professional. Under Betsy Hart and her staff, there was the best patient care, EKG training, and medical professional training being taught. Being taught EKGs, given hands on experience, and working directly with patients was the best way to learn. Aside from EKGs, I was taught blood pressure, crash cart set up, vitals, leading strength training , and if lucky, even visit the Cath lab. The connections from working directly with patients are unforgettable. I will always be thankful for everything I learned and for all of the patients I was so fortunate to meet and care for. As of now, I am in PT school at UIC, and even as a first year, have already implemented my knowledge from this internship into my learning and future career. I would highly recommend this internship to anyone considering applying, it showed the reality of being a healthcare worker and helped me fall in love with the healthcare pathway."
Lindsey Ahern
Current PT Student UIC
Loyola University Alumni
"I completed my internship in cardiac rehabilitation at Loyola MacNeal as part of my undergraduate degree in exercise science at Loyola University of Chicago. During this internship, I was able to work and learn in a supportive environment with team lead Betsy Hart and her crew to help patients on their cardiac rehab journey. Being able to work with the patients every day and see their motivation to improve their health was inspirational. I was able to see the positive changes in the patient’s health in real time throughout my time at MacNeal. Although I saw both of phases 2 and 3, I spent most of my time working with phase 2 cardiac rehab patients. I was able to lead group exercises, take exercising blood pressures, read EKG rhythms of the class while they were exercising on the equipment, and even give a lecture on the topic of my choice to educate the patients. My favorite part of the internship was sitting behind the monitor and reading the EKG strips in real time because I was able to use my judgement and learn on the fly. Additionally, there are more opportunities available outside of rehab that the staff is more than willing to help you experience such as watching a stress test, an echo, or a stent placement. Moreover, there is the opportunity to work one-on-one with many different patients every day. This internship gave me so many experiences that I will use in my future as a physician."
Jay Miller
Iowa Carver College of Medicine
"I completed my internship in cardiac rehabilitation at MacNeal Hospital in the summer of 2023 as a program requirement for my Master of Science in Exercise Science at Loyola University Chicago. As an intern at MacNeal Hospital's Cardiac Rehabilitation, you will gain 200+ hours of hands-on clinical experience in phase II and phase III cardiac rehabilitation from day one. It was an amazing experience to clinically practice what I was taught in the classroom! From the guidance and help of the cardiac rehabilitation staff, I learned how to interpret EKGs in real time; take blood pressures at rest and during exercise; build patient rapport; prep new patient charts; observe and conduct individual treatment plan reviews; lead group exercises; observe and assist in a rapid response calls; and observe and conduct new patient orientations. As a part of the internship program, I got the opportunity to lead an education class and educate the patients about hypertension. Additional learning opportunities I had the chance to partake in included becoming ACLS certified and observing a nuclear stress test. This cardiac rehabilitation site also allowed me the opportunity to work with a diverse patient population. The diversity opened my eyes to the need for modifying healthcare practices to meet the needs of the patients and challenged me to find other avenues to communicate with the patients about their health. Upon completion of my internship, I was able to pass my ACSM-CEP certification and I was offered a full-time position to continue working with the MacNeal Hospital community and dedicated cardiac rehabilitation staff. If you are thinking of wanting to work in a rehabilitation healthcare setting, I highly recommend completing an internship at MacNeal Hospital's Cardiac Rehabilitation to gain immeasurable hands-on experience and a passion for a career in healthcare."
Caitlyn Muhlig, MS, ACSM-CEP
Grand Valley State University Alumni
Loyola University Chicago Alumni
"Compassionate patient care, medical training, and hands on experience, get them all at MacNeal's cardiac rehab. A great team led by Betsy Hart who have turned MacNeal's phase II and III cardiac rehab into the standard for excellence in Illinois with the outcome measures to prove it. As a student you will see firsthand how patients take their life back after heart attacks and thoracic surgery and adopt healthy living. Expect to lead exercise classes, take vitals, prep the crash cart, read EKG rhythm strips, conduct patient education, improve your bedside manner and if you are lucky you may get to watch stent placements and thoracic surgery. You can also earn your ACLS provider certification, study and earn your Clinical Exercise Specialist certification through the ACSM if you work the required hours. In summary this was an excellent experience, it was formative, a great resume builder and it was instrumental for my future as a physician."
Iulian Dragusin, 2d Lt, USAF
Midwestern University CCOM 2018
“I was a Physical Education major as an undergraduate student, and the MacNeal Cardiac Rehab team selected me as an intern in the Summer of 2012 because I knew Physical Education wasn't my long-term plan and I wanted more exposure to patient care and secondary prevention. As an intern, I was able to learn about reading and interpreting ECG rhythms, how to take exercising blood pressures, and exercise prescription. This was all real world experience that, before my internship, I had only learned about in textbooks and in a school setting. This internship set me up to succeed in Graduate School, where I studied Clinical Exercise Physiology at Ball State University. I felt incredibly well-prepared since I spent an entire Summer working as part of the MacNeal team. I currently work as the Laboratory Manager at the Integrative Physiology Laboratory at UIC, where I now train others to perform the skills that I learned at MacNeal. I help supervise exercise physiology research in clinical populations, and my internship in MacNeal Cardiac Rehab prepared me to assume this leadership role. The staff at MacNeal are wonderful - they make you feel like a co-worker and let you contribute to the team, which helped my confidence and professionalism. I highly recommend this internship!”
Garett Griffith
Laboratory Manager
UIC
