November 1994
November 1999 (revised)
November 2003 (revised)

Statement of the Issue

The need for healthcare executives to maintain their professional competency has never been greater. Changes in both the financing and delivery of care continue to occur at a rapid pace, and the expertise and skills that are needed to respond appropriately to the resultant challenges are not come by easily. At the same time, traditional career ladders are giving way to new opportunities that extend to all aspects of the healthcare continuum. Only through deliberate, ongoing career development can healthcare executives be assured that they have the management and leadership skills they need to advance their careers and serve their organizations effectively.

Policy Position

The American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) believes that healthcare executives have a responsibility to foster their own professional development throughout their careers. Career development activities should include the following:

• Periodic self-assessment that involves taking stock of one’s career in terms of professional strengths and weaknesses and current responsibilities. Self-assessments also should be used to focus on career aspirations and development of an action plan for achieving career goals.
  
  
• A commitment to regularly reading healthcare management periodicals, journals and books that provide insight into the trends, issues and challenges affecting the healthcare management field as well as a variety of media including Web-based or other resources offering broad-based business management information.
  
  
• Although ACHE requires an average of eight hours of external healthcare management continuing education annually for recertification as a Fellow, healthcare executives ideally should participate in both in-house education and external offerings that together provide a balance between healthcare management education and programming related to overall management effectiveness. To remain effective, healthcare executives must embrace and master new information and other emerging technologies that enhance professional performance. To this end, a minimum of 40 hours a year of continuing education is advisable.
  
  
• Active networking that includes both one-on-one interaction with peers and professional society and trade association involvement.
  
  

Approved by the Board of Governors of the American College of Healthcare Executives on November 10, 2003.