Administrative Fellowship

Application Process

• Eligibility Requirements: Recent post-graduates. (MHA, MBA, MPA, MPH, MSN)
• Number of Fellows: Two in 2026
• Application Deadline: April 30, 2026
• How to apply: Apply online here
• Duration: Two years (Full Time, exempt employment)
• Compensation: Pending

Cohort Timelines

• Fellowship Begins: July 6, 2026
• Fellowship Ends: June 23, 2028

Graduation Celebration

• Date: June 23, 2028
• Time: 9:00 – 11 am
• Location: NorthBay Health Green Valley Administration Center

Administrative Fellows will participate in an executive mentoring program. Each Fellow will be paired with a NorthBay Senior Vice President or designee, as their executive mentor for the entire fellowship period.

Administrative Fellows will receive mentoring and coaching training, to prepare them to be effective at mentoring and coaching others, in the future.

Fellows will be exposed to specific services via arranged Shadowing opportunities if interested.

Fellows will be paired with a seasoned NorthBay Leader as their Mentor/Buddy.

Alumni Fellows will be paired with new fellows as an additional resource.

Professional Association Memberships:

Fellows will have the opportunity to be members of the following associations during their one-year fellowship at NorthBay:

• Required
  • Fellows will have the opportunity to be members of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE)
• Other resources
  • National Council on Administrative Fellowship (NCAF)
  • National Center for Healthcare Leadership (NCHL)

Fellows will be able to attend webinars and/or virtual trainings sessions hosted by NCAF, NCHL, ACHE.

Each Administrative Fellow will be assigned a home area of responsibility. The Senior Vice President (or designee) of that area will be their designated executive mentor for their entire fellowship.

Leadership Enhancement:

Fellows will have access to "Internal Leadership Enhancement" courses facilitated by industry experts, leadership books and seats on world-class learning sites such as:

• Coursera
• LinkedIn Learning
• FranklinCovey
• OpenSesame

First Year Rotation:

Each fellow rotates through Hospital Operations, Ambulatory Operations and 2 areas of Corporate/Administration, to gain exposure and hands-on experience.

• 5-month core rotation in Nursing & Hospital Operations.
• 5-month core rotation in Ambulatory Operations.
• 2-month rotation in Corporate/Administration.

5-Month Hospital Operations Rotation

• Nursing & Hospital Operations: Bed management, patient flow, and capacity planning, Staffing, Budgeting, Capital Management, Environmental Services, Food & Nutrition, Security Operations, Facility Management and Emergency Preparedness.
• Patient Safety & Regulatory Compliance: Patient safety protocols and infection control. Performance Improvement, Accreditation preparation (i.e. Joint Commission, CMS audits), MedStaff.
• Patient Experience: Enhancing patient satisfaction and engagement initiatives.

5-Month Ambulatory Operations Rotation

• Ambulatory Clinic Operations: Workflow optimization for primary care, specialty, and urgent care. Telehealth integration and access-to-care strategies. Coordination between inpatient and outpatient services. Community outreach, preventive care programs Physician & Staff Relations. Provider productivity models. Ambulatory care staffing and scheduling, training & retention.
• Ancillary: Pharmacy, Lab, Radiology services (Inpatient & outpatient)

2-month Corporate/Administration Rotation

• Human Resources (Two Weeks)
  • Talent Acquisition: Understanding talent acquisition processes and onboarding.
  • Employee & Labor Relations: Conflict resolution, legal compliance, employee engagement & retention strategies, labor relations, performance management.
  • Compensation & Benefits: Salary structures, incentive programs, benefits administration, Leave of Absence, HR information Systems & Analytics.
  • Training & Development: Leadership development, career growth pathways, identifying strengths and closing skill gaps, mentoring & coaching, designing training programs in the Learning Management System, compliance training.
• Finance (Two Weeks)
  • Financial Planning & Budgeting: Introduction to developing and managing healthcare operating and capital budgets. Forecasting revenue and expenses. Analyzing variances. Learning forecasting techniques (e.g., regression analysis, trend analysis).
  • Introduction to analyzing monthly financial statements (income statement, balance sheet, cash flow statement).
  • Understanding the revenue cycle process from patient registration through billing and collections. Optimizing revenue capture and minimizing denials.
  • Introduction to Payroll
• Information Technology (One Week)
  • Healthcare Operations & IT Integration: Understanding how IT supports operations and improves patient care, including clinical workflows and non-clinical operations.
  • Systems Management: Introduction to clinical and non-clinical systems.
  • Healthcare IT Infrastructure: Understanding data centers, networking, cloud technologies, and infrastructure management in healthcare settings.
  • Data Security & Privacy: Learning best practices for securing patient data, dealing with encryption, data breaches, and compliance with HIPAA and cybersecurity frameworks.
• Strategy (One Week)
  • Foster innovation and improvement: Equip fellows with the skills and knowledge to drive quality improvement initiatives, optimize patient care, and implement evidence-based practices across the health system.
  • Cultivate a data-driven approach: Develop fellows' ability to leverage healthcare data analytics, performance metrics, and population health strategies to inform decision-making and achieve system-wide improvements.
  • Enhance operational strategy development: Provide Administrative Fellows with training in operational strategy to prepare them for leadership roles within health systems.
• Philanthropy (One Week)
  • Fundraising Strategy: Learning how to develop and implement a comprehensive fundraising strategies aligned with the hospital's mission and goals, including major gifts, annual giving, planned giving, corporate donations, grant solicitation, capital campaigns, and special events.
  • Donor Relations: Learning how to cultivate and maintain relationships with current and potential donors, including individuals, foundations, corporations, and other organizations.
  • Fundraising Participation: Participate in fundraising activities, including soliciting donations, organizing events, and preparing grant proposal
• Optional Project Week (One Week)
  • Fellows may choose to participate in a leadership or community relations project, and must send a report about the project to Organization Development.

Second Year Rotation:

• Key Mindset Shift in Year 2
  • From Fellow to leader → less shadowing, more steering.
  • From exposure to execution → demonstrating results.
  • From project participant to accountable owner → trusted to deliver independent outcomes.

1. Strategic Leadership & Autonomy
   1. Lead one or more enterprise-level initiatives tied to system priorities (e.g., growth, patient access, workforce redesign, digital transformation).
   2. Take ownership of cross-functional projects, with accountability for measurable outcomes.
   3. Serve as an interim manager in an area, testing leadership in real-world operations.
2. Operational Integration
   1. Move beyond project work into day-to-day operational decision-making.
   2. Participate in (or chair) committees, task forces, or steering groups.
   3. Build operational dashboards or leadership performance scorecards.
3. Executive-Level Exposure
   1. Shadow and partner with C-suite executives more deeply.
   2. Support or co-present at Board meetings, town halls, or system-wide leadership sessions.
   3. Contribute directly to strategic planning, financial reviews, and budget development.
4. People Leadership
   1. Mentor first year fellows and early-career staff.
   2. Lead workgroups and interdisciplinary teams, honing communication and influence skills.
   3. Demonstrate the ability to inspire, manage conflict, and foster collaboration.
5. Capstone / Signature Project
   1. Deliver a capstone project that is:
   2. Strategically aligned with organizational priorities.
   3. Quantifiable (financial impact, quality metrics, patient experience, workforce outcomes).
   4. Sustainable (hand-off plan to operational leaders when fellowship ends).
6. Career Transition Preparation
   1. If fellowship was successful, eligible fellows will work with HR, executive mentors and sponsor in preparation for a leadership role at NorthBay.
   2. Gain experience with executive recruitment processes - interviews, presentations, portfolio preparation. Clarify leadership philosophy, style, and impact story.

In Consultation with NorthBay’s Project Management Team, each Fellow will undertake a significant project during their fellowship. Projects must be approved by the fellows mentors, and the SVP of the area for the project, prior to starting the project. Projects must be started in the first year.

Project Outcomes

Fellows will be expected to present their project findings and recommendations to senior leadership after completion of the first year.

• Capstone presentations: June 30, 2027

Examples of projects:

• Process Improvement: Streamlining processes, improving budgeting efficiency etc.
• Financial Analysis: Analyzing the profitability of a specific service line, developing a cost-benefit analysis for a new program etc.
• Strategic Planning: Developing a model for a new initiative.