Fellowships

[sidelines]

Does anyone know how difficult it is for one to land an administrative fellowship after graduating from an MHA/MPH program?

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[Sparty19]

Does anyone know how difficult it is for one to land an administrative fellowship after graduating from an MHA/MPH program?

A lot of factors at play in your question. Without knowing the candidate profile, the biggest factor is which fellowship? If you're talking about the more well known fellowships like Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins, then obviously those are going to be very competitive.

However, smaller academic medical centers or community hospitals often see less applicants, thus increasing your chances.

The VA also offers numerous fellowships as well. However, I did not apply to any VA fellowships, so I'm not well versed on their statistics.

 

[deleted462159]

A lot of factors at play in your question. Without knowing the candidate profile, the biggest factor is which fellowship? If you're talking about the more well known fellowships like Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins, then obviously those are going to be very competitive.

However, smaller academic medical centers or community hospitals often see less applicants, thus increasing your chances.

The VA also offers numerous fellowships as well. However, I did not apply to any VA fellowships, so I'm not well versed on their statistics.

What do they generally look for as far as candidate profile goes (e.g. GPA, experience)?

 

[Sparty19]

What do they generally look for as far as candidate profile goes (e.g. GPA, experience)?

Very similar to applying to graduate school, but in some sense, I would say even more competitive. Most organizations are only offering one to two fellowship positions per year. Without giving away names, one fellowship I applied to last year received 130 applicants and took two fellows. Another had well over 350, and took 5. So you can see, the competitiveness is extremely high.

For any given fellowship, the candidates that are extended interviews all have the same "technical" profile, or look good on paper. What separates candidates from one another is personality, and how you respond in the interviews.

This is straight from my current fellowship's recruitment PowerPoint, re. Best Suited Candidates:

Program seeks diverse candidates from strong masters-level accredited programs

Competition for this program is intense and selection is a challenging exercise in discerning those "best-suited," while striving for diverse skill sets, background, work experience and interests

Masters-prepared individuals who have completed the degree requirements or are degree candidates in one or more of the following fields of study:

• Healthcare Administration
• Business Administration
• Public Health or Health Services Administration
• Public Administration
• Finance
• Human Resources
• Other related accredited degree programs

Have experience within the health care industry, such as:

• Internship
• Preceptorship
• Fellowship
• Employment

Possess broad knowledge of current and historical perspectives of the health care industry

• Desire to be challenged at a high level
• Energetic, hard-working, ambitious, and self-starting
• Flexibility and willingness to assume a variety of role assignments
• Deal effectively with ambiguity
• Objective and insightful
• Service, team, and learning orientation
• Understanding and commitment to cultural competency and diversity in the practice of healthcare

Hope this helps.

 

[mrcoolthefool]

Competitive, although I've been told that just the monotony of the application process weeds a lot of individuals out.

I know someone who got one at a VA hospital..he said the key is your past experience. It is important to get a meaningful internship between the first and second year of your masters program. On a side note, he told me that he highly recommends applying for as many fellowships as possible. Not only are they a great experience, but many times result in a high paying job offer (~60k/year) after completion.

 

[RAMPA]

Competitive, although I've been told that just the monotony of the application process weeds a lot of individuals out.

I know someone who got one at a VA hospital..he said the key is your past experience. It is important to get a meaningful internship between the first and second year of your masters program. On a side note, he told me that he highly recommends applying for as many fellowships as possible. Not only are they a great experience, but many times result in a high paying job offer (~60k/year) after completion.

$60K is considered high paying?

 

[mrcoolthefool]

$60K is considered high paying?

If I'm 24 years old and supporting myself then 60k is a hefty salary.

 

[sidelines]

I appreciate all of the thoughtful responses.

I did not realize that obtaining an administrative fellowship is so competitive. Do fellowships typically select individuals from highly ranked and accredited HMA and MPH - Management Track programs?

On a side note, what do the top 25 programs look for in a Master's applicant? I assume they look at grades, GRE scores, clinical experience, and research experience. Am I missing anything else?

 

[RAMPA]

I appreciate all of the thoughtful responses.

I did not realize that obtaining an administrative fellowship is so competitive. Do fellowships typically select individuals from highly ranked and accredited HMA and MPH - Management Track programs?

On a side note, what do the top 25 programs look for in a Master's applicant? I assume they look at grades, GRE scores, clinical experience, and research experience. Am I missing anything else?

I think they've become more selective with the Great Recession and with hospitals cutting budgets.

If you look at some sample fellowships you'll see that the "higher caliber" fellowship programs take applicants from highly ranked programs and vice versa. Graduating from Michigan doesn't guarantee a fellowship, but it does help... a lot.

http://www.nmh.org/nm/careers-current-administrative-fellows
http://adminfellowship.kp.org/fellows.html
http://www.massgeneral.org/adminfellowship/fellows.aspx

Re: what do top 25 programs look at?
Grades, GRE scores, a well written personal statement, and some healthcare experience, not necessarily clinical.

Re: research experience would be a plus, but not having it won't hurt either. I had none and I was a competitive applicant.

 

[frankcfromny]

Masters programs generally place the most importance on grades, experience in the field and your personal statement.

GRE scores are hit or miss. This is what I've gathered from the programs I'm applying to.

They have a minimum score that must be reached in order for them to look at your application. This is about 1000 out of 1600 (OLD SCALE). I thought that most people generally have that when applying to graduate school, but apparently not.

Several have told me that while GRE scores are important, chances are if you didn't get in with a low GRE score then you wouldn't have gotten in with a high GRE score. One school told me that in the event the admissions committee can't reach a decision between two individuals, the GRE score will be the deciding factor.

While a good GRE score is essential, unlike undergraduate, it plays a subservient role in comparison to the rest of your application.

 

[PeterR]

Hi.

I am currently preparing an application to an administrative fellowship in June 2016 (application process next year).
I am a foreign applicant, MD with MHSA at an accredited University in Europe (well ranked university in Europe), high GPA (better at MHSA than in Med school though ), working for 2 years as a clinical manager at the Physician-in-Chief office of a (top) academic hospital in Sao Paulo, internship at the WHO, research experience and publications in Health Economics, Black Belt LSS certification, Tableau and Programming Experience.
Recommendation letters would not be a problem , and I am preparing them early.
I believe my record is strong, and the visa will not be a problem, yet cannot stop seeing the international applicant label as a con.
May I aim for fellowships at the top Hospitals? And what can I do meanwhile in order to strengthen my application ?
Any admin fellow, alumni that can shed some light over here?


Thanks!

P.S. - No GRE score. Should I take the exame? GRE or GMAT? Thanks!

 

[PeterR]

bump

 

[SPSS]

Hi.

I am currently preparing an application to an administrative fellowship in June 2016 (application process next year).
I am a foreign applicant, MD with MHSA at an accredited University in Europe (well ranked university in Europe), high GPA (better at MHSA than in Med school though ), working for 2 years as a clinical manager at the Physician-in-Chief office of a (top) academic hospital in Sao Paulo, internship at the WHO, research experience and publications in Health Economics, Black Belt LSS certification, Tableau and Programming Experience.
Recommendation letters would not be a problem , and I am preparing them early.
I believe my record is strong, and the visa will not be a problem, yet cannot stop seeing the international applicant label as a con.
May I aim for fellowships at the top Hospitals? And what can I do meanwhile in order to strengthen my application ?
Any admin fellow, alumni that can shed some light over here?


Thanks!

P.S. - No GRE score. Should I take the exame? GRE or GMAT? Thanks!

I think GRE/GMAT is required when applying for degrees not fellowships nonetheless it's wise to rather inquire from the institutions your applying for .

 

[TAILSCALIFORNIA]

They are super competitive. Nearly all fellowship programs will want to see your transcripts, letters of recommendation, resume, and a personal statement.

After that, the large applicant pool (200+) will be narrowed down for first round phone interviews with current fellows. Most fellowship programs then extend offers to 6-8 candidates to visit them on-site, where they pay for your travel expenses and interview you for 2 days at the same time as all the other candidates. They usually make an offer to 2-3 candidates within 48 hours.

I was really fortunate to get a big-time fellowship out of graduate school last year. The thing that helped me the most was focusing on my personal statement. I also bought a book to help me with the whole process that was written by past-fellows, called "Hacking the Administrative Fellowship Process". I think you can buy it at their site.

I actually even paid them to review my resume and it was soooooo much better afterwards.

good luck!

 

[TAILSCALIFORNIA]

Thought I would share some thoughts about how to narrow down the fellowship field to choose the type of organization you're interested in. Here's some advice that helped me:

The first step in applying for administrative fellowships is narrowing down the field of potential programs you will be applying to. Before reaching out to the current fellows, you should consider the different structures and elements of fellowship programs.

The chart below will help you identify the different options. Choose the structure and format that best aligns with your goals.

Consider how each factor will influence your experience as a fellow. Fellowship programs will most likely ask you, specifically, why you prefer a 2 year tenure, or an academic medical center, etc.

After considering and identifying these factors, you should limit your fellowship applications to organizations that meet these criteria, based on your interests and goals. Each application will need to be customized so that each organization feels as if they are your number one choice. Directly addressing the structure and format of their program is a great place to start, as they will want to know why their program stands out amongst others.

I hope that's helpful. I've got a bunch of other ideas - feel free to message me if you have any questions.

 

[shrimpfriedrice1994]

They are super competitive. Nearly all fellowship programs will want to see your transcripts, letters of recommendation, resume, and a personal statement.

After that, the large applicant pool (200+) will be narrowed down for first round phone interviews with current fellows. Most fellowship programs then extend offers to 6-8 candidates to visit them on-site, where they pay for your travel expenses and interview you for 2 days at the same time as all the other candidates. They usually make an offer to 2-3 candidates within 48 hours.

I was really fortunate to get a big-time fellowship out of graduate school last year. The thing that helped me the most was focusing on my personal statement. I also bought a book to help me with the whole process that was written by past-fellows, called "Hacking the Administrative Fellowship Process". I think you can buy it at their site.

I actually even paid them to review my resume and it was soooooo much better afterwards.

good luck!

This is many years later! I hope you are still active TAILSCALIFORNIA! I'm sorry no one has responded to you, because you sound like a great resource for those interested in applying for these admin fellowships.

I am interested in the book you mentioned, it seems like the info you mentioned in the post below is pretty hard to come by but also important. Do you still happen to have it? Would you be willing to sell it?