Administrative Fellowship Program

Program Structure

The fellowship program is 18-months long, broken into a 12-month project-based experience followed by 6 months in an interim leadership role. The fellowship also includes curriculum, mentorship, and support for career development. Our fellows lead projects that are important to our future and reflect the complexity of healthcare leadership roles.

Examples of previous fellowship projects:

• Developing and managing the system’s telemedicine program
• Developing an Accountable Care Organization (ACO) strategy and work plan
• Implementing Moxi robot across the health system
• Developing a workplace violence reduction toolkit at Good Samaritan Hospital
• Serving as project manager for ambulatory growth & access strategic planning
• Conducting an interventional radiology workflow service improvement plan

Mentorship: You’ll be provided two layers of executive mentorship, as well as regular meetings with the program administrator and mentorship from past fellows.
       

Examples of past executive preceptors:

• Senior Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer
• Chief Operating Officer of Tacoma General & Allenmore Hospital
• President of MultiCare Medical Partners
• President of Capital Medical Center
• President of Pulse Heart Institute
• Vice President Patient Engagement and Chief Patient Experience Officer
• Vice President, Supply Chain Management
• Vice President, Integration (Health System M&A, Strategic Partnerships, Ambulatory Development)

Curriculum: In addition to “learning by doing”, you’ll have dedicated time to focus on your own development through formal classes, networking, a fellowship book club, and industry conferences.

The 2025-2026 Administrative Fellowship application cycle has closed. The next application cycle will open likely in late July.

Important Dates:

Application Opened: July 29th, 2024
Application Due: September 1st, 2024
Phone Interviews: September 9th-11th, 2024
Final Interviews: October 1st, 2024
Start Date: June or July 2025

Application Materials must be compiled in ONE complete PDF document that includes:

• Cover Letter (why you are interested in MultiCare and why you are an excellent candidate for the Administrative Fellowship)
• Resume
• Statement of purpose (reasons for pursuing a career in healthcare administration, and expectations for the fellowship experience at MultiCare)
• Two letters of recommendation
  • For external candidates: provide one academic and one professional letter of recommendation.
  • For current MultiCare employees: providing two professional letters of recommendation is acceptable.
• Official or unofficial graduate transcript
  • For external candidates: Master’s degree — typically an MHA, MBA, MPH, MHSA, MSHA or MSN; Coursework must be completed before the start of the fellowship. Graduation date must be between 9/1/2024 – 6/30/2025.
  • For current MultiCare employees: Master’s degree in any field (e.g., may be MHA, MBA, etc., or may be a clinical Master’s degree).

Note: We are unable to sponsor work visas for individuals participating in the Administrative Fellowship Program at this time.

Additional eligibility requirements for current MultiCare employees:

• Must have been working at MultiCare for at least a year at the time of application.
• Must have strong performance and a strong record of demonstrating MultiCare’s values.

The application for the 2025-2026 Administrative Fellowship is closed. Please return for updated information regarding applications in July 2025.

Informational Webinars:

The Fellowship program conducts informational webinars to provide information about our program and to provide the opportunity for prospective candidates to ask questions. The webinars for the 2025-2026 recruitment cycle have been completed. Future informational webinars to be scheduled next summer, 2025 for the 2026-2027 recruitment cycle.

Informational Slides:

For reference, please see our Administrative Fellowship slides with updated information for our 2025-2026 fellowship cycle.

Administrative Fellowship Slides

Contact Us

Have more questions? We want to hear from you!
Reach out to us at: [email protected]
Recruitment Chair: Nate Symonds, RN, MBA

Current Administrative Fellows:

• Claire Helligso, MSW, LICSW
• Laura Nguyen, MPH
• Logan Walton, MS, CCC-SLP

Our fellows have landed in high need leadership roles such as:

• Business Manager, Hospital Operations
• Product Manager, Technology Advisory Services
• Administrative Program Manager
• Program Manager for Population Health Clinical Value
• Project Manager for Enterprise Project Management Office
• Practice Manager for Rockwood Endocrinology, Nephrology, & Dermatology

See what our past fellows have to say about their experience:

“If you want to learn from authentic leaders who will take you out of your comfort zone, see potential in you before you see it yourself, trust you to execute on real work, even if that means making mistakes along the way, and support you along your learning journey, the fellowship at MultiCare is the experience for you.”
– Hannah Wong (Administrative Fellow, 2022-2023) 

“The fellowship at MultiCare Health System was a catapult for my career. The access I received to work with and learn from executives gave me invaluable experiences and relationships. Through the fellowship I gained experiential knowledge and leadership skills to advance my development and career opportunities.”
– Jayden Snyder (Administrative Fellow, 2020-2021)

“The projects I worked on were filled with great learnings, exposures, successes, and failures, and I believe the work I did had a meaningful impact on the organization. This is an incredible opportunity to gain healthcare administration experience in a fast-paced and exciting way. ”
– Amy Burke (Administrative Fellow, 2019-2020)

“The fellowship was the best next step for me after graduate school. Through the various projects and mentoring the fellowship provided, I was able to solidify my future career decisions and make lasting connections throughout the organization.”
– Jennifer Thomas (Administrative Fellow, 2013-2014)

1. Is this fellowship limited to a specific region?  

• Any MultiCare employee meeting minimum requirements is eligible to apply – regardless of region of employment.
• Each fellow is assigned to a base location, where most of the fellowship takes place. Site locations must be selected during the application process and will be discussed during the interview process. While we take preference into consideration during the offer process, a specific location cannot be guaranteed.
• Locations:
  • South Sound Region (office located in Tacoma, WA)
  • Inland Northwest (office located in Spokane, WA)
  • Yakima Valley (office located in Yakima, WA)

2. What is a fellow’s salary? 

• External candidate salary will be $85,000. Internal employees will range between $85,000 and $100,000.
• Fellows are not eligible for ICP (incentive compensation program).

3. Am I eligible for benefits? 

• Yes. Fellows will accrue both vacation and sick leave. In addition, dependents are eligible for full medical and dental benefits.

4. What are the eligibility requirements to apply for the fellowship?

• External Candidates
  • Completing a Master’s program – typically an MHA, MBA,  MPH, MHSA, MSHA, or MSN
  • Coursework must be completed before the start of the fellowship.
  • Graduation date must be between 9/1/2024 and 6/30/2025 for the 2025-2026 cohort.
• Current MultiCare Employees
  • Have a master’s degree in any field.
  • Have been working at MultiCare for at least a year at the time of application.
  • Have strong performance and a strong record of demonstrating MultiCare’s values.

5. What does a typical day look like for a fellow? 

• A typical day for a healthcare administrative fellow varies, but generally involves a mix of project work, meetings, shadowing leaders, networking with colleagues, and engaging in professional development activities.

6. How many fellows does MultiCare employ annually? 

• The program may employ up to four fellows annually. The fellowship typically starts each June.

7. What are some projects past fellows have worked on? 

• Please reference the project list on the administrative fellowship website.

8. What are opportunities for employment within MultiCare upon completion of the fellowship?  

• The fellowship program’s goal is to provide the fellows with marketable skills for a promising healthcare administration career following the fellowship.  Please refer to our alumni page to see the career progression of our past fellows.

9. What is the interview process like?

• The interview process consists of an initial virtual interview, and, if selected for further interviews, will be followed by a series of in-person interviews with senior leaders, our program administrator, and former fellows. In-person interviews will all take place on the same day.

10. Are there opportunities to attend national conferences or professional development events?

• All fellows will attend the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) national conference. Fellows may attend other conferences as desired. Additional conference attendance will not be funded by the fellowship program.

11. Are there opportunities to network with other fellows and healthcare administrators?

• Our program encourages connecting with co-fellows, past fellows, and our administration team. We appoint an engagement chair to plan and provide a variety of opportunities to connect including volunteering, fellowship alumni events, and group outings.

12. What are the benefits of completing an 18-month fellowship?

• The first 12 months of the fellowship will provide extensive project-based experience that provides real world healthcare management experience to emerging healthcare leaders in healthcare operations, strategy, and system-thinking.
• During the final 6 months of the fellowship, fellows fill an interim leadership position, during which they will have support and guidance when managing a team. This ensures that upon completing the fellowship, our fellows have experience with team leadership and are adequately prepared for leadership responsibilities in their future roles.

13. What other employment opportunities are currently available at MultiCare for recent graduates with an MHA, MBA, MPH, etc.?

• For current job postings at MultiCare Health System, please visit our Workday Careers site. (Careers at MultiCare (myworkdayjobs.com)

14. Does MultiCare offer sponsorship for work visas?

• MultiCare is unable to sponsor work visas for individuals participating in the Administrative Fellowship Program at this time.

Specific to current employees:

1. Will I be able to return to my previous job post-fellowship?

• The fellowship is a full time, exempt position. You will be required to leave your current position and that current position will not be held for you during the fellowship.

2. Can I continue to work or do any work for my current job?

• The fellowship is a full-time 18-month commitment. You will not be able to continue ad-hoc assignments with your current job.

3. Is the fellowship offered to remote employees?

• The fellowship program is in-person. An in-person experiential learning provides the most value to the fellows. The program includes experiences such as community outreach, shadowing, networking, and collaborative learning. Through these experiences and onsite project work fellows will get an insight into system-wide hospital and ambulatory administration operations, strategy, finance, etc.

4. Can I work per diem to keep my clinical license? 

• Unfortunately, MultiCare cannot employ an employee in an exempt and non-exempt status at the same time.

*The information provided in this FAQ is for informational purposes only and is subject to change. Please email [email protected] with any additional questions or concerns.