Meet Nick Mahoney, one of ACHE’s 2023–2024 Stuart A. Westbury Jr. Postgraduate Fellows. He will earn his Master of Health Services Administration in 2024 from Xavier University. Get to know him in the Q&A below.
How did you become interested in healthcare management?
My path to healthcare management involved a lot of luck and disdain for science classes. I started college as a nursing major. After around half a semester of anatomy, I realized there had to be a side to healthcare where I would enjoy the classes more. Luckily, I had a mentor who pointed me in the direction of health services administration. I was on the swim team at Xavier University during my undergrad into my first year of graduate school. There were two older teammates who went through Xavier’s MHSA program while I was pursuing my undergraduate degree, and I looked up to them to the point where I decided that I would follow in their footsteps. I think, like a lot of people who get into the career path of healthcare administration, I wanted my work to help people, even if it wasn’t in a bedside care capacity.
Why did you join ACHE, and how did you engage with the organization as a student?
Joining ACHE and attending the Congress on Healthcare Leadership were requirements for the first year of my MHSA program, and to be honest, I was unaware of ACHE prior to that. I really did not realize the full value of an ACHE membership until after I attended Congress in 2022. Congress was a great experience as it was a chance to see all that ACHE does for the profession that I have become so interested in over the past few years. ACHE offers continuing education, supports the development of healthcare leaders, offers a community for healthcare executives and helps leaders build their skills. Looking toward the future, I will start the process of earning the FACHE® credential as soon as I am eligible. Being a Fellow is the sign of a healthcare executive dedicated to the improvement of the profession as a whole.
Why did you want to serve as the Stuart A. Wesbury Jr. Postgraduate Fellow? Describe the opportunities you have had.
I didn’t have the easiest time finding a postgraduate fellowship. Xavier University’s MHSA program requires a fellowship to be completed to achieve the degree. So, when I saw ACHE pop up on their own postgraduate fellowship directory, I knew it was an opportunity I had to put myself out there for. I knew ACHE would be different from the traditional hospital fellowship, considering we’re in the association world, but I also thought that was one of the greatest strengths of the fellowship. In school, you are taught a very specific idea of healthcare administration, which usually involves working as an administrator at a healthcare facility; however, there are many more paths one can take with a healthcare administration degree. I knew that this experience would make me a well-rounded potential employee for whatever part of the healthcare industry I decide to work in next.
What are your career goals, and how will you stay involved in ACHE?
My career goals are pretty fluid. There are a few avenues I would like to explore, including healthcare consulting, working as an administrator at a children’s hospital or even being in the healthcare technology startup world. I think my current experience in the association world could lend a hand toward consulting work, but I do not want to rule out anything preemptively. Regardless of where I end up in the industry, upper-level leadership has always been my goal. Reaching a C-suite position is a long-term goal, specifically in operations or strategy. I also have an interest in the tech startup world, and if the right opportunity presented itself to get in at the ground floor, it would be something I would consider.
What do you like to do to relax and unwind? What are some of your hobbies?
I feel like I have more free time now working a 9-to-5 role than I ever did in college as a student-athlete. I’m used to being on a rigid schedule and having to find time to pursue hobbies and my interests. I try to budget out time for a workout every day, either before or after work, which helps keep me sane and able to fall asleep at night. I’ve started to pick up reading as a downtime activity, and that’s about as relaxed as I get. I don’t really do much swimming anymore, but I have picked up basketball and volleyball in my free time. I love watching sports, specifically basketball and football. I was born in Detroit, so I’m a big Lions and Pistons fan. Other than that, I really enjoy traveling and making time to see my friends who are all scattered across the country. The food in Chicago is also amazing, so I’ve been trying to get out and go to local restaurants near my apartment.
Nick Mahoney is one of ACHE’s 2023–2024 Stuart A. Westbury Jr. Postgraduate Fellows.