Confessions of a Graduate Student
David L. Bevett, BS
August 1996
When asked what I had learned during my summer practicum, my initial thought was nothing. My
experiences at Baystate were a mixture of frustration and disappointment. During the process of
taking program evaluation course and working with the Consumer Health Information Project
(CHIP), I was able to augment my understanding of process improvement and evaluation methods.
The course supplied me with tools that allowed me to better integrate my critical and conceptually-
based thought processes. As both the semester and my knowledge progressed, I realized that
evaluation was of real interest to me; yet, what I needed was an opportunity outside the classroom.
Although the benefits of working on the course project were of immeasurable value, I sought a
further understanding of the implications of evaluation within an organization: what occurred post-
evaluation? However, neither the evaluation class, previous course-work, nor corporate experiences
prepared me for what I discovered during my summer practicum. My initial response was incorrect,
I had learned something. I learned many of the complex realities of working within The System.
Many of my experiences leading up to the summer practicum at Baystate left me disillusioned. I left a
management position in the corporate non-profit world in search of something more: a career that
would allow me to use my skills and abilities within an industry that embraced change. Upon much
reflection, I suppose that I was overly idealistic and perhaps somewhat naive; yet, I reasoned that an
industry who’s mission is to improve the publics' health would be dedicated to seeking change. Now,
I believe that I may have assessed the industry incorrectly. Many, if not most of the issues that I
faced and observed previously had not changed. Once again, I was forced to confront The System.
But what is The System? The System is as much a reflection of structure and function as it is people
and processes. The same system designed to solve problems and be productive perpetuates cycles of
dysfunction and over-stressed, underutilized people stifling their efforts. It seems that the ultimate
success, products or services of a system are directly proportional to its ability to empower its people.
David L. Bevett, BS
August 1996
When asked what I had learned during my summer practicum, my initial thought was nothing. My
experiences at Baystate were a mixture of frustration and disappointment. During the process of
taking program evaluation course and working with the Consumer Health Information Project
(CHIP), I was able to augment my understanding of process improvement and evaluation methods.
The course supplied me with tools that allowed me to better integrate my critical and conceptually-
based thought processes. As both the semester and my knowledge progressed, I realized that
evaluation was of real interest to me; yet, what I needed was an opportunity outside the classroom.
Although the benefits of working on the course project were of immeasurable value, I sought a
further understanding of the implications of evaluation within an organization: what occurred post-
evaluation? However, neither the evaluation class, previous course-work, nor corporate experiences
prepared me for what I discovered during my summer practicum. My initial response was incorrect,
I had learned something. I learned many of the complex realities of working within The System.
Many of my experiences leading up to the summer practicum at Baystate left me disillusioned. I left a
management position in the corporate non-profit world in search of something more: a career that
would allow me to use my skills and abilities within an industry that embraced change. Upon much
reflection, I suppose that I was overly idealistic and perhaps somewhat naive; yet, I reasoned that an
industry who’s mission is to improve the publics' health would be dedicated to seeking change. Now,
I believe that I may have assessed the industry incorrectly. Many, if not most of the issues that I
faced and observed previously had not changed. Once again, I was forced to confront The System.
But what is The System? The System is as much a reflection of structure and function as it is people
and processes. The same system designed to solve problems and be productive perpetuates cycles of
dysfunction and over-stressed, underutilized people stifling their efforts. It seems that the ultimate
success, products or services of a system are directly proportional to its ability to empower its people.
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