Offering an administrative fellowship is a commitment to an individual's professional development. There should be broad support among senior leadership for offering a fellowship and a clear understanding of the purpose of the fellowship, the expectations of the fellow and the anticipated organizational and professional benefits.
Purpose of the Fellowship
Organizations will differ in terms of the specific mission and rational for offering an administrative fellowship. The Resources and Guides section contains several specific examples.
A sample fellowship targeted toward Masters candidates and recent Masters-level graduates in healthcare administration, business administration, public health and nursing administration can have the following goals:
- Develop strong leaders for Emory Healthcare and the health care industry
- Provide, in the form of well-prepared individuals, a contribution to the field, the health system and the pool of healthcare management talent
- Expose individuals to the philosophy, mission and vision of the organization
- Provide the opportunity for executives and managers to develop and apply coaching, learning and mentoring skills
You may also develop an explicit mission statement such as the following: "To provide emerging health professionals with practical skills and experience which will help prepare them for the challenges of leadership in the healthcare industry."
Expectations of the Fellow
In addition to specific expectations based on the structure of the fellowship, there are a number of general expectations for fellows. These include but are not limited to:
- Take part in active, hands-on, substantive projects that foster development of verbal, interpersonal and analytical skills and the opportunity to translate academic theory into practice
- Demonstrates knowledge and understanding of the healthcare industry and the components of the organization
- Communicates information effectively using the appropriate level of judgment, accuracy, and courtesy with internal and external constituents
- Exhibits accuracy, attention to detail, consistency, and ability to meet multiple deadlines in all work efforts
- Demonstrates ability to synthesize information (quantitative/qualitative) and complete components of preliminary and final reports, including spreadsheets and financial analyses (if applicable)
- Demonstrates ability to work independently and to collaborate in group settings
- Exhibits a willingness to take on leadership and non-leadership roles and responsibilities
- Possesses effective management skills
Organizations also may want to consider the ACHE Competencies Assessment Tool based on the Healthcare Leadership Alliance model.
Organization and Professional Benefits
In specifying organizational and professional benefits typically there is a recognition of the value of the work undertaken by the fellow, as well as the benefit of the relationship for preceptors. For example, one organization indicates that by offering an administrative fellowship, it expects to:
- Benefit from the productive efforts of intelligent, energetic individuals
- Gain exposure to current management concepts and ideas from major academic institutions
- Attract promising new talent to its administrative staff