Program Structure

The two-year Administrative Fellowship program is comprised of a combination of institutionally structured rotations, projects and fellow-directed activities. Fellows may apply to be based at either Northwestern Memorial Hospital (NMH) in Chicago, IL or at Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital (NLFH) in Lake Forest, IL.

The first month of the first year is spent gaining an understanding of a broad spectrum of hospital and system departments through shadowing and informational interviews. Then the fellow will begin the first of three to four rotations, during which s/he is embedded in various departments within the hospital.  One of these rotations may be at NLFH if the fellow is based at NMH or at NMH if the fellow is based at NLFH. In this way, fellows will have exposure to both an academic medical center and a community hospital regardless of their choice of base location. Other rotations are selected based on the core skill set that Northwestern believes fellows should develop, individual fellow interests and institutional needs.

In addition to the rotations 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 rotation.  Projects are selected from current organizational priorities, such as business development, strategic planning, hospital operations and community service.

The second year of either the NMH or NLFH-based fellowship is spent serving as an interim manager of a department that is selected based on institutional need and the fellow’s goals and skills.

Administrative Fellows are partnered with a mentor team comprised of a Vice President, a Director and the Administrative Fellowship program manager. The mentor team 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.