Developing the Next Generation of Health Care Leaders
The Administrative Fellowship Program at RUSH Copley provides participants with opportunities to develop the skills and attributes necessary to excel as leaders in the health care field. In its strategic plan, RUSH Copley emphasizes the need to “attract, educate, develop and retain lifelong learning opportunities and open paths to career growth.”
The fellowship program is a 12-month, interactive, project-based experience designed to contribute to the fellow’s skill development, leadership competencies and understanding of the health care delivery system. The administrative fellow is a supportive member of the executive team who interacts with management team and medical leadership to learn firsthand about various aspects of health care operations. Ongoing observation and participation in Executive Team meetings provides the fellow with insight on the decision-making process. At the end of the program, a fellow should gain an understanding clinical operations, support services operations, business development, physician relations, hospital finance and community relations.
Program Structure
Mary Shilkaitis, senior vice president of Operations and chief operating officer, and John Diederich, president and CEO, mentor the fellow, typically meeting every other week to help vet projects, develop goals and provide guidance for organizational navigation and key relationships.
During the first 30 days of the program, the fellow learns about the organization, focusing on mission, vision and strategic goals. This initial orientation includes meetings with key leaders to gain understanding of departments and services. Together, the fellow and mentors identify key projects, well-structured assignments and opportunities for the fellow to lead to create and improve processes and programs. Projects are often selected from organizational priorities in the strategic plan and include both ambulatory and inpatient care settings. Regular two-way performance feedback enhances the experience, learning and outcomes.
The fellow is encouraged to envision the full range of experiences they wish to gain. When possible, personal interest areas are incorporated into assigned responsibilities.
Culture
Fellows are welcomed into the RUSH Copley family and become an integral part of the RUSH vision to become the region’s leading health care system. A community hospital with ties to academic medicine, RUSH Copley offers fellows the best of both worlds. Two deep-rooted values lie at the core of the organization: the patient comes first and a Promise to patients, families and guests. All employees make this Promise that includes offering warm, friendly greetings in every interaction, treating patients, families and guests with courtesy, respect, equity and inclusion, doing everything possible to ensure their comfort and safety and being mindful of their privacy.
In addition, employees make a Promise to each other, pledging to foster an atmosphere of trust, respect and inclusion, to ask for and offer help, and to offer and implement solutions. Fellows are encouraged to seek relationships throughout the organization and gain valuable support from the collegial working environment.
The RUSH Copley Medical Center Administrative Fellowship Program is geared toward individuals who classify themselves as leaders and self-starters, and those who are interested in building a better understanding of management in a community based medical center across all of its mission components and strategic partnerships. Qualified applicants have a Master's degree (MBA, MHA, MS, MHSA, MPH). Preferred applicants hold a Master's degree from a program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation Healthcare Management Education (CAHME); however, applications from non-CAHME programs will be accepted for review. We also accept those applicants with an outstanding residency requirement. All applicants must have completed their coursework prior to the start of the fellowship. We will work with the individual program to ensure that all requirements can be fulfilled.
RUSH Copley Medical Center will provide a compensation package that is competitive with other fellowship programs. Please visit RUSH's Careers page for additional information about employment, including information about Aurora and the surrounding area.
Application Rquirements
To successfully apply to RUSH Copley’s Administrative Fellowship, please complete the online application and provide the following materials:
- Cover Letter
- Resume/CV
- Personal Statement
- Undergraduate Transcript
- Official Graduate School Transcript (Visit the "Academic History" quadrant to submit colleges attended and to download the Transcript Request Form for your registrar's office. Transcripts should be sent directly from your registrar's office to NAFCAS.)
- Three (3) Letters of Recommendation (to be requested in the "Supporting Information" quadrant): (1) ACADEMIC, (1) PROFESSIONAL, and (1) OTHER (academic, professional, or letter from your program director)
- RUSH Copley Medical Center only accepts applications through the NAFCAS portal and application packets received after the deadline, will not be considered. Unfortunately, the fellowship program cannot sponsor international visas. Candidates who require an international work visa will have to obtain the required visa independently.
To apply online, please visit the NAFCAS application portal at nafcas.liaisoncas.com.
Important Dates
As a member of the National Council of Administrative Fellowships (NCAF), we adhere to the NCAF application timeline and process. Please see below for the 2023 standardized dates.
- Complete applications must be submitted by September 29, 2023
- Onsite interviews will be held in mid-to-late October 2023
- Fellowship year begins July 8, 2024, and ends June 30, 2025
For questions regarding the fellowship or interview process, please contact administrative_fellowship@rush.edu.