First Year Professional Development Experience
Overview
The Professional Development Experience (PDE) allows first year in-residence MHA students to shadow local health care administration professionals who are working at the executive level. Students receive a formal and active introduction to the health care profession and valuable exposure to quality management practices. The PDE is an integral part of the UW MHA Student Career Development Program. The experience provides significant exposure to the health care administration field. Students receive an in-depth view of the assigned organization and learn about other organizations from their colleagues during student discussion sessions (described below).
Expectations of PDE Organizations
Interested students are divided into small teams that are assigned to a participating hospital. The CEO or COO of these organizations facilitates the students' experience at his/her facility. The CEO/COO exposes the assigned students to many of the hospital's operations and departments, engaging many of his/her top staff for the sessions. The students are exposed to the workings of a department or work of an administrator through shadowing, observation, and discussion. The order and type of experiences are determined by the CEO/COO, who meets periodically with the students to discuss their experiences.
Recent participating PDE organizations are Seattle Children's, Group Health Cooperative of Seattle, and Stevens Hospital of Edmonds, Washington.
Expectations of Students
The PDE, which will take place from mid-winter to mid-spring quarter of the first year of the UW MHA Program, is open to first year students. Students will earn one credit (credit/no credit) for the PDE. Students are expected to attend each PDE session offered, usually three to four hours a week, complete any reading assignments, participate actively in the experience, and consider responding to possibilities offered by the CEO/Coo for additional participation (i.e. attending a board meeting that is scheduled at a time other than the regular PDE session). Student discussion sessions will be arranged during the PDE time frame so all participating students may share their experiences and benefit from what the other teams are learning.