Internship Report

NAME: TORO TROY MAKABEA

ID: 201705001

SESSION: June 2022-November 2022

SUPERVISED BY: Mr. Thuto L. Ngwato

LECTURER/INTERNSHIP SUPERVISOR: Dr. Theophilus T. Tshukudu,

[[email protected]]
Figures title:

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

My internship with Scottish Livingstone Hospital was a fantastic opportunity for learning and
professional development. As a result, I consider myself extremely fortunate to have been given
the opportunity to be a part of it. I am also thankful for the chance to have met so many
wonderful people and professionals who guided me through this internship period.
Keeping in mind the foregoing, I would like to take this moment to express my heartfelt
gratitude and special thanks to God, who made it possible for the Hospital Manager Mr. A. B.
Mafoko and the Human resource manager Mr. Montsho, who, despite being extremely busy with
their duties, took the liberty to give me an opportunity, allowing me to carry out my industrial
internship at their esteemed organization.
I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Mr. Thuto L. Ngwato, the assistant procurement
officer for participating in useful decisions, providing necessary advice and guidance, and
organizing and familiarizing me with all facilities and processes to make life easier. I've chosen
this moment to gratefully acknowledge his contribution.

It is my radiant sentiment to record my best regards and deepest sense of gratitude to Mr. Olebile
M. Benjamin and Mrs. Patricia Kufuna, the senior procurement officers, for giving me the
warmest welcome into the supplies department, Mr.Kenaleone Kabomo, for his guidance,
supervision, patience, and support during my internship. I would also like to thank my fellow
colleagues; Mr. K.Tsie, Mrs. B. Bannetse, Mr. T. Rrapulana, Mrs. M. Ramaeba, Mr. M. Bakae,
Mrs. Lekgoa for their continuous help and support. Their encouragement made some days with
high-intensity workload so much more manageable. They were very instrumental in their careful
and precious guidance which was extremely valuable for my study both theoretically and
practically. I was able to succeed at this internship thanks to all these individuals who guided and
aided me throughout it. I would also like to express my thanks to my fellow intern, Refilwe, for
her friendship and willingness to share their knowledge with me. I look forward to keeping in
touch with her while we move into the future of our careers.

Finally, I would like to thank my parents, who funded my entire college and medical school
experience through thick and thin. Their belief in me made all the nights of tireless study
possible. This opportunity represents a significant step forward in my career growth. In order to
accomplish my desired career objectives, I will strive to use newly acquired skills and
knowledge as effectively as possible, and I will continue to work on their improvement. I wish to
continue cooperating with you all in the future.
Sincerely,

Toro Troy L. Makabea

2|Page
Figures title:

EXECUTIVE SUMARY

This report is a compilation of the 6 months industrial attachment/internship I had at Scottish

Livingstone Hospital, supplies department. It summarizes most of the work done during this
period. It is compiled in partial fulfilment of Bachelor of Business Admin (Logistics & Supply
chain management) Degree at University of Botswana and it serves to provide an overview of
what the student learned during the attachment period at Scottish Livingstone Hospital. The
sources used in writing this report includes; observations of underwriting materials that has been
carried out by the institution and reading from internet. The report gives a brief description of the
history of the company and the functions performed. The hospitals organizational structure in
illustrated. Organization’s hierarchy chart and brief introduction of procurement department
where the student was attached is outlined. The duties that were assigned to the student and the
knowledge and skills that were acquired are explained in detail. Evaluation of the company on its
procurement processes is explained at length at the end of the report including conclusions and
recommendations for the future of the hospital.

a) Table of Contents

3|Page
Figures title:

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.......................................................................................................................2
EXECUTIVE SUMARY...........................................................................................................................3
INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................................................5
Significance of the report.....................................................................................................5
Methodology........................................................................................................................5
Limitations...........................................................................................................................6
OVERVIEW OF THE ORGANISATION................................................................................................6
BACKGROUND.......................................................................................................................................6
Vision...................................................................................................................................7
Mission................................................................................................................................7
Values...................................................................................................................................7
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE.......................................................................................................8
Procurement department structure/hierarchy.......................................................................9
Organizational reporting and induction.............................................................................10
Duties of the department....................................................................................................10
Offices that I have worked with and what they do............................................................11
Duties and responsibilities of stores/supplies and procurement personnel.......................12
Responsibilities that I have been assigned.........................................................................13
Workflow in the stores/supplies department......................................................................14
Work support resources.....................................................................................................15
Relationship with other officers in executing my duties and responsibilities...................16
FINDINGS/OBSERVATIONS...............................................................................................................17
Progress Made on Procurement traits................................................................................19
Skills Acquired...................................................................................................................19
Challenges during the internship.......................................................................................20
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE IDENTIFIED PROBLEMS/CHALLENGES...............................22
My assessment of the practicum experience in the organization.......................................23
CONCLUSION........................................................................................................................................24
References..........................................................................................................................25

4|Page
Figures title:

INTRODUCTION
This report is based on my work experience at the aforementioned organization as it is a short
description of my six month internship carried out as compulsory component of the Bachelors of
Business Admin; Logistics and Supply chain management. The internship was carried out within
the organization Scottish Livingstone Hospital. Since my I am interested in procurement and
purchasing, the work was concentrated on the procurement department and the processes
involved in public procurement. I primarily worked in the procurement/supplies department.
However, I had the opportunity to observe the entire supply chain department up close. As a
result, this report is the result of my overall working experience at Scottish Livingstone Hospital
At the start of the internship, I set several learning objectives for myself:
 to understand the functioning and working conditions of a governmental organization
particularly logistics and procurement processes in the Public health sector;
 To gain an early comprehension and appreciation of the practical real-life situation
challenges that arise when implementing theoretical knowledge acquired during class;
 to see if this type of work is a possibility for my future career;
 To use or apply the knowledge and skills acquired during classroom teaching on trial
basis;
 Obtain enhanced development and critical skill acquisition required to proactively
observe and assess problems/challenges encountered while having to carry out career
duties and responsibilities.
Significance of the report
The significance of this report is to:
 Get an overview of the effectiveness of their supply chain function.
 Get an overview of public sector procurement particularly in Scottish Livingstone
Hospital
 To provide possible recommendations to improve the overall supply chain function of
Scottish Livingstone Hospital

Methodology
This report was compiled using both primary and secondary data. As part of primary data
collection, I orally interviewed a few of Scottish Livingston’s employees particularly in the
supplies department and the accounts department which go hand in hand, and for secondary data
collection, I researched public sector supply chain functions and I also gathered information from
the whole department by observation and looking up government documents and historical
records.

5|Page
Figures title:

Limitations
 I only worked for about 6 months therefore it was extremely difficult to gather a
substantial amount of information in such a short period of time in order to generate an
extensive report.
 Lack of secondary data and I wasn’t able to contact any external stakeholders of supply
chain function of Scottish Livingstone Hospital for more information
 Public sector procurement is centralized and controlled by the Ministry of health
therefore this contributed to the lack of depth of this report.

OVERVIEW OF THE ORGANISATION

This includes the background of the organization, organizational structure, nature of the
organization and what the organization does and its clients/stakeholders.

BACKGROUND
Scottish Livingstone Hospital, also known as Molepolole Hospital, is a government-run district
hospital located in Molepolole, Botswana, 60 kilometers (37 miles) from Gaborone. The district
hospital is located in Kweneng District in Molepolole, Botswana's southernmost district, about
60 kilometers from Gaborone. The village has a population of around 70 000 people and serves
as a gateway to the Kalahari Desert.
The history of the cutting-edge facility dates back to 1933/1934, when the United Free Church of
Scotland built the first hospital. Dr. Sheppard was the hospital's first physician. The hospital was
officially opened on September 3rd, 1934, with 20 beds. The United Free Church of Scotland
founded the hospital in 1933. Dr. Sheppard was the first doctor when it opened the following
year on September 3rd. The hospital only had 20 beds at the time.
In November 2007, the government opened a new hospital building to combat the ongoing
HIV/AIDS epidemic. Arup designed the new building, which has 350 beds and high-tech heating
and cooling systems.
The Infections Disease Care Clinic at the hospital provides antiretroviral therapy. The majority of
doctors speak only English, while the majority of patients speak Setswana. As a result, medical
care is usually provided through a translator. There are few doctors and no medical equipment:
there is only one x-ray machine and no radiologist.

6|Page
Figures title:

Vision

 Scottish Livingstone Hospital will provide focused healthcare services consistent with
global standards
Mission

 Scottish Livingstone Hospital exists to provide evidence based, sustainable, curative,

rehabilitative, accessible, preventive and diagnostic healthcare services of the highest
quality
Values

 Customer care
 Teamwork
 Confidentiality
 Timeliness
 Effective Communication

7|Page
Figures title:

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
Hospital
Superintendent
Hospital Advisory
Comittee
-QIL
Specialists -OHS
-M & E
-PIC
-IPC
-PRO

Head of Head of Nursing Head of Clinical Head of Allied

corporate services Services Health services

a) Human
Resource
Management a) Ambulatory a) Ambulatory
core(A & E, core(A & E,
b) Procurement GOPD, SRH, GOPD)
c) Tranport Eye clinic) a) Clinical
b) medical care Psychology
d) Finance & b) medical care c) Surgical care
Accounts b)Dietetics
c) Surgical care d) Pediatric care
e) Maintenance c)Physiotherapy
d) Pediatric care e) Obstretic &
f) Linen d)Social Work
e) Obstretic & maternity care
Management maternity care e)Occupational
f) Operating Therapy
g) Catering f) Operating theatre and
services theatre and anasthetic care f)Dental
h) Catering anasthetic care Therapy
g) Critical
services g) Critical care(ICU,
i) MEMS care(ICU, NNU)
J) Enviromental NNU) h) Mental
Health h) Mental healthcare
healthcare i) Laboratory
i) CSSD j)Pharmacy
k) Radiology
L)
Ophthalmology

8|Page
Figures title:

Procurement department structure/hierarchy

This section includes the role of the department of procurement and supply chain management,
reporting and induction by the organization, the department to which I was assigned, role of the
stores and procurement department and the supporting resources.

Senior Procurement Officer

Olebile M. Benjamin

Assistant
Procurement
Procurement
Officer 1
Officer
Thuto L. Ngwato Patricia Kufuna

storekeepers and Interns

inventory managers

This chapter includes the role of the department of procurement and supply chain management,
reporting and induction by the organization, the department to which I was assigned, role of the
stores and procurement department and the supporting resources.

9|Page
Figures title:

Organizational reporting and induction

Mr. Montsho, the human resource manager, received my internship application mid-May and I
got a response approaching the end of the month. I was to report for duty on the 14th of June.
Upon my arrival I was designated to the stores/supplies department where I was then taken
through orientation by showing me the various departments. Offices and other locations
throughout the organization. I was officially welcomed by Mr. Benjamin and I was immediately
assigned my supervisor Mr Thuto Ngwato. I was then introduced to the other officers with whom
I would be working with including the inventory managers and storekeepers.

Duties of the department

The duties of the logistics and supplies department include the following.

 Planning of the procurement and logistics activities to be done throughout the financial
year.
 Working with the inventory/stock keepers to carry out periodic and annual stock taking
(Miashkova, 2021)
 Forecasting demand for different requirements like drugs, stationery and other supplies
(Champion, 2020).
 Solicitation of bidding documents from potential suppliers following the advertisement of
bid opportunities.
 Conducting daily procurement activities and solicitation of supplier quotations whenever
a requirement arises.
 Conducting disposal processes for the assets that have reached their useful lives.(usually
in the form of an auction)
 Approving invoices for further approval by higher offices like the director of Finance for
payment.
 Conducting market research to ascertain possible alternative sources of supplies.
 Receiving and verification of all the procured supplies, works and services.
 Logistics scheduling for the whole hospital and all its Branches across the kweneng
region.

10 | P a g e
Figures title:

Offices that I have worked with and what they do

a) Office of the Hospital Superintendent-apart from managing and coordinating all
activities in Scottish Livingston Hospital the hospital superintendent could:
 Be responsible for approving direct procurements and purchase orders.
 Authorizing Government Purchase Orders.
 Approving internal purchase requisitions from internal department

b) Accounts office.
 Responsible for writing cheques, clearing invoices and paying petty cash plus
preparing the payrolls.
 Receiving invoices from the supplies/procurement department and processing
them for payment
 Controlled the budget allocation of each department

c) Stores office;
 Responsible for requesting the procured/sourced supplies (drugs and other
medical supplies) from the logistics and Supplies department, updating of
stock registers and issuing the supplies to final users.

d) Office of the Hospital Manager;

 Responsible for approving programs, local purchase orders and service orders
approval and other roles in his jurisdiction.
 Also was responsible for approving new staff members in SLH

e) Transport department
 Responsible for transporting other employees and some of our officers for
inventory collection or delivery
 Managing and coordinating fleet used by the emergency medical
department(ambulances and other official vehicles)

11 | P a g e
Figures title:

Duties and responsibilities of stores/supplies and procurement personnel

a) Senior Procurement Officer
 Does all planning and all managerial roles in the department.
 Supervision of all workers in the department
 Makes sure that filing room is well organized everyday
 Makes amendments and improvements in the department.
 Acts as a coordinator in all organized training programs within the unit.
 Hold brief meetings with other supplies staff.
 The policy in the department is always ensured by him.

b) Procurement Officer 1
 Co-head the department together with the Senior Procurement Officer
 Attend departmental meetings
 Also supervises all workers in the department
 Evaluates open public tenders and contracts

c) Assistant Procurement Officer

 Identify purchasing needs across department
 Research potential vendors and maintain vendor database.
 Track orders and ensure timely delivery.
 Update internal databases with order details (dates, vendors, quantities, discounts)
 Authorize goods received notes when invoices are processed

d) Store keepers & Inventory Managers

 Takes telephone calls in the unit.
 Responsible for the receiving, storing, and issuing of materials (Pharma, Medical and
others), maintaining inventory and stock records of Hospitals stores unit.

e) Interns
 File retrieval when they are needed
 Sorting and filing of Quotations and paid invoices.
 Taking orders from supervisors
 Helping out in processing invoices and taking them to accounts

12 | P a g e
Figures title:

Responsibilities that I have been assigned

 Choosing/requesting quotes from suppliers for various procurement requirements.

 Creating/placing local purchase orders
 Preparing Goods Received Notes for Delivered Items to Invoices and supporting
documents (Government purchase Order copy & Goods received note) are forwarded to
accounts department for payment.
 Verification of received goods from suppliers.
 Entering goods received into the GABS system
 Contacting shortlisted suppliers.
 Analyzing/Evaluating supplier quotations in order to select the lowest bid for placing
government purchase orders.
 Before requesting supplier quotations, product specifications must be written and
dispatched in the form of an RFQ(Request For Quotation)
 Helping out in issuing goods in inventory to other departments(Internal Requisition)
 Submitting GPO’s and Evaluation form to top management for approval
 Attending to and dealing with returning invoices that had issues from accounts
department

13 | P a g e
Figures title:

Workflow in the stores/supplies department

an internal requisition is then

a need is identified in any one of prepared at that particular
the departments in SLH department and submitted to the
supplies/stores department

if the particular item or service

if the item is not in stock then a
requested is available at the
purchase requisition is created
supplies department then the
which instructs the
item is issued out of inventory
supplies/stores department on
and to the intended department
which goods/services to
with relevant paperwork being
outsource or procure
filled

an RFQ(Request For Quotation)

suppliers submit the Quotations
is then made and several
before deadline and then the
potential suppliers will be
procurement officers facilitate
selected and handed out the
the evaluation process
RFQ with clear specifications

after the selection of the bidder, the GPO is then authorised by

a GPO will be created and relevant authorities and is either
submitted to executive faxed, e-maied or collected by
management for approval th supplier themselves

upon delivery of the

goods/service the supplier
submits the delivery note and
invoice to facilitate payment

14 | P a g e
Figures title:

Work support resources

1. GABS system
This is a centralized system called; Government Accounting and Budgeting System (GABS).
GABS provides an integrated set of business solutions that allow GOB to manage budgets,
record revenue collection and expenditure, and control spending. It also provides on-line
information for decision making. GABS went live starting with a few selected
Ministries/Departments in August 2004, subsequently it has been rolled out to all
Ministries/Departments in Gaborone and other Towns/Villages depending on the availability of
the network and the IT readiness of the concerned ministry/department (Ministry of Finance and
Economic Development, n.d.). These systems are implemented on Oracle E-Business Suite and
utilize Oracle Financials (General Ledger, Payables, Receivables, Public Sector Budgeting,
Oracle Public Sector Financials (I), Cash Management, and some Custom Developments),
Inventory, and Purchasing and Asset Management modules (Ministry of Finance and Economic
Development, n.d.). This system was instrumental in the procurement cycle of Scottish
Livingstone Hospital. We used it to; create GPO’s, link suppliers to our database for easy
payment, print goods receipt note to acknowledge goods received, return goods and many more.
2. Computers
We worked primarily with computers in our department. This is because we used software’s like
the GABZ system. We used software like Microsoft word to create RFQ’s and direct
procurement letters. We utilized Microsoft excel to create supplier databases and budget
proposals for our senior procurement officer. We utilized google chrome for g-mail as we also
contacted suppliers using electronic mail.
3. Printers
Printers were ideal in our line of work as copies were needed for filing purposes. We made
copies of GPO’s, Invoices, printing goods received note etc. Printers were also instrumental in
printing evaluation report forms, purchase requisitions for other internal departments and since
they were scarce in the hospital most departments used our printers.
4. Fax Machine
A fax machine was important in a sense that it was an important means of sending and receiving
information. We used it to send GPO’s to suppliers, send RFQ’s to suppliers and also receiving
them. It was also useful for communication between departments.
5. Trolleys
These were used when issuing out inventory from the supplies department to intended
departments and it was very important in management of inventory as movement of goods from
one place to another became so much convenient.
15 | P a g e
Figures title:

6. Pallet Jack
A pallet jack is the most basic form of forklift and is intended to move pallets in a warehouse or
trailer. Pallet jacks are some of the most essential tools found in warehouses and are used for
transporting small loads for short distances (Raymond Corporation, 2022). This tool was used at
the loading bay/dock when receiving inventory. It made it easy to maneuver inventory and store
it in its designated area.
7. Bantex file
We used laminated bantex files to file evaluation reports attached with quotations, we also filed
paid invoices, cancelled GPO’s, delivery notes and other inventory documents involved in
supplies department.
8. Telephones

A mode of communication between two or more people in which we shared information.

Sometimes we would contact other departments to enquire about important information, and we
also called departments using the switchboard informing them that their goods have been
delivered so their representatives could come check if the goods correspond with their
specifications. We also used it to call suppliers for RFQ collection, GPO collection,
benchmarking, and we also received customer complaints (both internal and external) through
the telephone.

9. Wi-Fi Router:

We connected to the internet to find data that we needed. The internet supported some of the
applications that we used. Without the internet there was no how we could access those
platforms.

Relationship with other officers in executing my duties and responsibilities

I have had a good relationship with the accounts officers whenever I would be submitting
invoices of the suppliers for payment. I have had a good relationship with the Hospital Manager
Mr. Mafoko at the times when I would be submitting the orders, supplier analysis forms and the
GPO’s for approval. A good working relationship has been registered while working with the
Hospital Superintendent as I would usually pass by their office to submit GPO’s for authorization
and direct procurement requests for approval. I have had a good relationship with Mr. Thuto
Ngwato the Ass. Procurement Officer plus Mr. Benjamin the Senior Procurement Officer while
executing the tasks they assigned to me. I have associated with other storekeepers/officers in the
especially Mr. Kabomo, Mr. Tsie, Mr Rapulana, Mrs. Bannetse and other officers.

16 | P a g e
Figures title:

FINDINGS/OBSERVATIONS
This chapter contains what I have learnt at school and applied in the workplace in terms of
knowledge, skills gained and how intend to utilize that I learnt, my personal contribution (self-
appraisal) to the organization and the challenges noticed during the internship. A wise man once
said, "Theory is abstracted practice, and practice is applied theory." Theoretical knowledge is
simply knowledge of what you have learned, whereas practical knowledge is doing the actual job
that you have been educated about. Therefore, I am forever grateful to SLH for providing me
with the opportunity to apply the knowledge gained at school and put everything to practice.
My Bachelor (hons) in Business Administration: Logistics and Supply chain program at
University of Botswana includes the following modules: Professional Communication,
Introduction to Cost Accounting, Introduction to Logistics Management, Principles of
Purchasing, Management of Inventory, Introduction to Supply Chain Management, Reverse
Logistics, Procurement and Contract Management, Business Ethics and Warehousing and Cube
Utilization. I managed to put each one of the aforementioned modules to practice and here is
how I managed to do that;

i. Professional Communication
The confidence I had when I was presenting my work I got it all from the practices we kept
doing in this module. Some days I’d be given a task of supervision to other interns that is
when my knowledge from professional communication came in handy. This module simply
molded me into a professional; it was not difficult for me to adapt to the working
environment. It's more of a professional behavior class, and I was thrilled to be a part of it. It
guided me on how to express yourself in the workplace.
ii. Introduction to cost Accounting
When doing purchase orders, I had to thoroughly assess the purchase requisition and order
the right amount, at the right price, with the right quantities and were not supposed to fall
short and in this critical process. I had to make sure and stick to the threshold/budget and also
take into account the source of funds in the form of a “vote” e.g. the vote for ordering drugs
was 00904. This is one relevant module as if helped reduce mismanagement of funds.

iii. Introduction to Logistics Management

I was able to understand our logistics processes better because of this module. We worked
closely with the transport department and when we had shortage of infant milk in the
Hospital, procurement officers would contact the transport department to expedite a vehicle
so they can go collect the goods. Within this particular relationship I managed to note down
how this module was significant.

17 | P a g e
Figures title:

iv. Management of Inventory

In this module I had acquired knowledge on how to effectively manage inventory levels and
this was applied in the workplace because for every item/good that was issued. There was a
stores ledger that had to be filled to update stock levels in case there was a need for
replenishment later on.
v. Introduction to supply chain management
This module particularly taught me how supplier relationships are managed, and the
relationships between different stakeholders along the supply chain. Therefore since Scottish
Livingstone Hospital is situated in the Kweneng district, the supplies department made it
mandatory for local suppliers to come register themselves in our supplier database so that
suppliers with close proximity could be given 1st priority. Hence most of the small tenders
were usually awarded to local suppliers and this improved the supply chain of Scottish
Livingstone because of maintaining close relationships with local suppliers.
vi. Reverse Logistics
This is defined as a type of supply chain management that moves goods from customers back
to the sellers or manufacturers. It defines a reversal or upstream movement of goods/services
along the supply chain. I was able to apply what I learned in this module particularly when
suppliers brought in the wrong goods, especially drug consumables and non-drug equipment.
In that case we returned goods back to the supplier and advised them to bring the right
specifications of products. Otherwise the next bidder is selected or the whole GPO is
cancelled.
vii. Procurement and Contract Management
In Procurement and Contract management, we focused on the relationship between suppliers
and organizations after a contract is awarded. In Scottish Livingstone this was illustrated by
our cleaning companies namely Drytex Botswana & Dolla Maid Cleaning services. I closely
monitored how their contracts are managed and I had the privilege to observe how they were
awarded that contract since I was able to access filled documents.
viii. Business Ethics
This module taught me about ethical conducts in a business setting. I was able to apply what
I’ve learned because I maintained confidentiality in all the processes particularly when
dealing with suppliers and when creating RFQ’s I made sure I randomly selected suppliers
fairly and equally after assessing their capabilities in doing that particular job.

18 | P a g e
Figures title:

ix. Warehouse and Cube Utilization

Warehouse space utilization refers to how efficiently you're making use of your entire
warehouse. In our supplies department there was a large storeroom on the way to the
receiving bay which had a setting similar to a warehouse including; shelves and pallet
systems. I was able to apply the knowledge I gained particularly when I was tasked with
receiving goods at the receiving bay and placing them at their designated shelve or cage.

Progress Made on Procurement traits

 I learned how to place both local purchase orders and service orders for a variety of
needs such as hotel services, car repairs, printer purchases, and many others.
 I learned how to clearly specify the products required, which is writing clear product
specifications in order to elicit a larger pool of suppliers, for example, during the
printer purchase.
 I learned about the various stages of procurement and how approvals flow before the
supplier is finally paid against the invoice provided on delivery.
 I learned how to clearly verify the delivered products and write a goods received note
based on the supplier's invoice and the organization's purchase order.
 I learned about the supplier selection process.

Skills Acquired

 I learned how to use the GABS system as I was eventually put in charge of dealing with
invoices and taking them to the accounts department
 I learned teamwork skills, particularly when issuing inventory with storekeepers
 I gained and improved my communication skills, particularly while interacting with
people in higher-level positions, such as the Hospital Superintendent, and through daily
interactions with the Senior Procurement Officer.
 I learned and improved my business negotiation skills, particularly while soliciting
quotations from suppliers who were not listed.
 I learned to be knowledgeable; Knowledge comes in the form of facts, awareness or
understanding. Many at times, for one to fully understand something, they should have
applied or partook in that situation for a considerable amount of time. I gained the
necessary comprehension of the skills taught by applying them on the job on an everyday
basis. The skills were eventually cultivated into me and I was able to carry my out job
with much ease than before. I was able to tell what a task set before me at that time
required me to do and sometimes even come up with solutions to the challenges that I
would encounter occasionally because of the knowledge I have gained.
19 | P a g e
Figures title:

 My resourcefulness abilities were enhanced in a variety of ways. As an assistant to a

manager, I discussed with my supervisor ways to improve certain processes. The front
office had a lot of paper work, so I suggested scanning it and transferring it to the
computer for safekeeping. This will help reduce paper work and make it easier to access
information on the computer rather than having to page through a file in search of a
single document.

Challenges during the internship

This includes the challenges that I noticed and are facing the organization, workers and those that
I faced.

a) Coping with an Unfamiliar Workplace Culture

Understanding organizational culture takes time because it varies from office to office. While
some organizations have a rigid structure, others are more flexible, and many people find it
difficult to adhere to organizational structure during the first few weeks of socializing. You can
choose whether to be friendly or reserved in your behavior based on your observations of the
prevailing culture. Thus, I was really struggling to blend in at Scottish Livingstone Hospital for
the first month. I was usually confused most of the time and this affected my productivity.
b) There's Too Much Work
Because interns are eager to get their foot in the door, some employers may exploit young
workers by assigning them to long hours of dull, repetitive work. Every day, I became tired and
exhausted, and this gradually affected my internship experience. Being new at work can be
intimidating, especially if it's a new workplace with unfamiliar faces and jobs.
c) Shortage of staff
Scottish Livingstone’s supplies department has many external stakeholders. We procured goods
for all clinics across kweneng. So this centralization by the ministry puts an overload in some
departments since hiring people is also controlled by the ministry of health. Therefore our
department was very understaffed though we were expected to deliver results. It was a daily
challenge because Scottish Livingstone is a big prestigious organization, but if put together with
20 | P a g e
Figures title:

the management of procurement of all other clinics it becomes too much of a close to impossible
task. Bottlenecks along processes was a daily encounter and sometimes the hospital could run
out of healthy food and needed medication which affected the whole hospital as a whole.
Moreover since I was the only intern for some time, I was overloaded too much work and there
were times where I’d find myself alone in the office with our procurement officers held up
elsewhere and I had to attend to internal and external customers together with telephone calls
whilst making sure I do my assigned tasks.
d) Poor filing system
The supplies department had a very poor filing system and workstations and desks were always
overloaded with documents, papers and files. Whenever there was a need to check a previous
document from an old task, it would be a whole day task because their files are just clogged in all
offices hence one wouldn’t even know where to look. However a few weeks after my arrival I
helped improve the filing a little and reorganized some files. It was not much but it was a step in
the right direction.

e) Organizational Communication flow

My observation showed that upward communication to management was a problem. Usually
executive management was either disinterested in the problems from bottom management or
sometimes they were too busy caught up in meetings which could even last a week. This caused
a disruption in communication therefore increasing bottlenecks along processes as sometimes a
GPO would be long overdue for authorization meanwhile all top management officials were not
available.
f) Unreliable Network
The Unreliable Wi-Fi internet limited some of the activities like GABS system and other online
activities. Whenever this had happened we would spend hours doing unproductive work because
that stopped me from processing invoices claiming that the system is down.
g) Unreliable Electricity and backup generators
At times electricity would cut off while we’re still working and it would leave us devastated in
total darkness. The backup generators where unreliable too because at times it would be reported
that they were faulty. This proved quite a hefty challenge during my internship.
h) Inadequate number of computers

21 | P a g e
Figures title:

There was a small number of computers in our department. We usually shared the workstations.
There was a total of 16 staff members in our department but only 5 computers were available
therefore one could not work effectively as we would wait our turn.
i) system malfunctions
Sometimes the system would not function properly as a results of slow running computers and
long hours of using it without refreshing it and that caused slow productivity in the department.
This was also the same with the printers which malfunctioned every now and then. During this
situation we would call the IT support group to come attend to the issue. The other solution we
used was refreshing the computer after some few hours and it worked properly. For the printers
we would sometimes unjam it ourselves.
j) Duplicated documents
At times there was a problem of duplication, which is mainly caused by poor filing and
communication among staff members. There were times when GPO’s would be duplicated and
this was a major setback because top management didn’t like it.
k) Unreliable Transport System
It was unfortunate because the only transport that was available for staff, patients and goods was
ambulances. At times when inventory officers needed a vehicle for official purposes they could
to tell there are no vehicles, all of them were occupied which mean work is halted.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE IDENTIFIED PROBLEMS/CHALLENGES

The organization and staff
I recommend that top management should utilize division of labor by giving procurement
officers a certain degree of authority to minimize bottlenecks as they are totally unbecoming.
This could be done through holding meetings including top management, management from the
ministry of health and departmental managers within Scottish Livingstone Hospital. As a result
this could benefit all of productivity within the hospital as grievances could be heard and dealt
with due to the fact that there is free flow of information up and down the chain of authority
Since it is entitled to unlimited funding from the Ministry of Health, source more vehicles for all
the departments to ease transportation of its employees and particularly goods that are needed by
the hospital.
On the challenge of unreliable Wi-Fi network and internet, the organization should put in place
more secure internet network such that the organizational GABS systems can work more
efficiently and work made easier. For faulty printers the hospital could sensitize people on how

22 | P a g e
Figures title:

to deal with printers because my observations showed me that a lot of the staff members had
difficulty dealing with these gadgets hence them becoming faulty on the long run.
Top management should alert the ministry in shortage of staff members so that they could at least
hire interns to alleviate too much work in the department and make workflow quicker and faster
thus satisfying end users.
For power outages and unreliable backup generators, the maintenance department should
collaborate with the supplies department to outsource quality service in attending to the backup
generators. This will guarantee longevity and effectiveness of the hospital as a whole.
To me and other future internees.
I recommend that the students that intend to do internship should prepare in advance and have
enough money to assist them buy data in case they want to get access to internet and they are
denied Wi-Fi at the work place because it was quite a challenge compiling the report due to
limited time and resources.
To the university
Serious supervision to the workers and students, the organization should increase and ensure
more supervision over the employees in order to work effectively and also eliminate workers
who relax, work lazily and perform actively after seeing their supervisors.
Students must be constantly monitored. The intern suggests that the university conduct constant
supervision and monitoring of students during internship training in order to encourage them to
perform their duties completely and accurately. This will also foster a close relationship between
academic supervisors and field supervisors, allowing for appropriate evaluation of the interns'
work in the field.
Secure Internship placements for students. The University should assist students in securing
internship positions related to their respective programs at the University by providing students
with recommendations in order to ease their training periods and avoid the pain experienced by
students in search of internship placements. Should also continue with internship program
because it helps to prepare students for their future careers and also allows students to put their
theoretical knowledge learned in class into practice. It also aids in the development of students'
understanding of work ethics, job demands, responsibilities, and opportunities.

My assessment of the practicum experience in the organization

The internship was generally a success because I was able to achieve all the objectives I had set
for example I was able to apply the knowledge I acquired during classroom teaching to the real
work place environment, appreciate how team work is applied, obtain critical skills needed for

23 | P a g e
Figures title:

me to proactively observe and analyze problems/challenges encountered while executing career

duties and responsibilities, Interact with and learn from experienced professionals in a work
environment and write a detailed internship report after the internship period.

CONCLUSION
In conclusion I benefited a lot in the field attachment in a way that I managed to apply the
theoretical knowledge from the university into practice through the many
activities/tasks/assignments I was instructed to do.
I improved the skills like interpersonal, listening, presentation skills, acting freely around people,
typing skills, accounting, recording, presentation, typing, conflict resolution, organizational skills
to mention but a few. I learnt many lessons which included; how to create an accounting system,
how the working environment runs, etc. I exposed myself to different ideas from the different
people (employees) at the Organization and also through interacting with other interns from
many other universities and colleges and this contributed a lot on the knowledge and experience.
Finally, internship was fun and therefore I would encourage Scottish Livingstone Hospital to
continue giving students this opportunity to do their academic requirement of internship from
their organization. Therefore, the field attachment at Scottish Livingstone Hospital was very
good opportunity for me to attain the necessary practical skills and be able to accomplish a
requirement for the award of Bachelors degree of Logistics & Supply Chain Management and
was a success.

24 | P a g e
Figures title:

References
1. Champion, A. (2020, August 4). Retrieved from Flowspace Website:
https://flow.space/blog/demand-forecasting/#:~:text=Demand%20forecasting%20in
%20supply%20chain,demand%20without%20creating%20a%20surplus.
2. Miashkova, Y. (2021, September 22). Track-Pod Corporation. Retrieved from Track-Pod
Web site: https://www.track-pod.com/blog/functions-of-logistics/
3. Ministry of Finance and Economic Development. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.finance.gov.bw/index.php?
Itemid=321&option=com_content&view=article&id=210&catid=17
4. Ministry of Finance and Economic Development. (n.d.). Retrieved from finance.gov.bw
Web site: https://www.finance.gov.bw/index.php?
Itemid=321&option=com_content&view=article&id=210&catid=17
5. Raymond Corporation. (2022). The Raymond Corporation. Retrieved from Raymond
Corp Web site: https://www.raymondcorp.com/information/frequently-asked-questions/
what-is-a-pallet-jack

25 | P a g e