The focus of the guidelines is on postgraduate training. In the context of the guidelines, “postgraduate” refers to individuals with a master’s degree or more advanced degree. The guidelines are presented to help the graduate or new careerist select the form of postgraduate training that is best suited to his or her educational background and goals for professional development. And, these guidelines will assist healthcare professionals and educators in structuring and evaluating new or existing postgraduate fellowship programs.

The fellowship as postgraduate training has developed as a logical response to many trends in the healthcare field:

• The diversity of academic backgrounds of new careerists
• Increasing demands for expertise placed on healthcare executives
• The increasing number of candidates, often from other professional disciplines, who now compete for healthcare management positions
• A growing awareness and interest in healthcare administration as an attractive career option

In the increasingly competitive healthcare job market, the experience gained through participation in a fellowship can provide a competitive advantage to the new careerist. The benefits of such planned practical experience include:

• Creating a low-risk environment in which the new careerist has the opportunity to translate theory into action
• Fostering an understanding of the profession through individual experience
• Enhancing the individual’s existing skills, knowledge, and experience
• Exposing the new careerist to decision making at the highest governance, corporate, or executive levels at a point in his or her career when such opportunities would rarely be present otherwise
• Allowing the development of a mentoring relationship that can influence future professional development and career advancement

At the same time, fellowships benefit sponsoring institutions by:

• Allowing them to evaluate potential candidates for future leadership positions
• Exposing current management to interaction and exchange of ideas with postgraduates or new careerists
• Allowing opportunities for introduction of current academic theory and learning techniques

Fellowships also benefit the field of healthcare administration as a whole by preparing a network of skilled professionals who will become the mentors and leaders of the future.

Special Notice for Preceptors
Preceptors for postgraduate fellowships may use the mentoring experience to fulfill the project requirement for advancement to Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives.

A candidate for advancement to Fellow may serve as a mentor for a one-year postgraduate fellow. This process is a highly structured management leadership development experience and requires specific, regular documentation for the ACHE Credentials Committee.

Preceptors who are interested in using the mentorship option for advancement to Fellow should contact ACHE’s Division of Membership at (312) 424-9400 for more details.