Program Structure

Administrative Fellowship Program Structure

The two-year Administrative Fellowship program is comprised of a combination of project work, fellow-directed activities, and management experience.

The fellow will be matched with a VP and Director Mentor who are assigned based on the career goals and interest of the fellow. The fellow and VP Mentor typically meet every other week. In addition, the fellow will have monthly meetings with the Executive Sponsor(s). Executive Sponsor(s) help the fellow vet projects and develop professional goals. Meetings are also scheduled with system President and CEO, Howard Chrisman, along with other system leaders.

The first 30 to 60 days of the first year are spent gaining an understanding of the broad spectrum of hospital and system departments through shadowing and informational interviews. The fellow will then proceed to get involved in projects embedded in various departments throughout the system, as determined by both personal interests as well as institutional need. Projects are often selected from current organizational priorities, such as business development, strategic planning, hospital operations and community service. In addition to the project involvement during the first year, the fellow engages in a long-term process improvement training class and leads a process improvement project that may or may not be in an area of previous work.

The fellow will also have an opportunity to diversify their work experience by engaging with one of Northwestern Medicine’s regional hospitals. This unique component of the fellowship will generate significant exposure to senior leaders across the system. At the conclusion of this experience, it is expected that the fellow will have expanded their professional network and developed a thorough understanding of hospital operations and health-system dynamics beyond Northwestern Memorial, the system’s flagship hospital.

The second year is spent serving as an interim manager of a department that is selected based on institutional need and the fellow’s goals and skills. During this time the fellow continues to be closely mentored by members from the executive leadership team. This mentorship provides a mutually rewarding and satisfying experience for administrative fellows and members of Northwestern Memorial leadership by fostering a relationship between experienced leaders and those aspiring to leadership roles.