Fellowship Application Tips
1.) Research: Learn about as many different fellowships as possible, and about the
application/interview process. It is fine to reach out to current fellows at organizations you are
interested in. Know that they are often involved in the applicant screening process, so make those
contacts professional and meaningful (e.g. don’t ask questions you can easily find the answers to
on their website).
2.) Focus: Develop a list of fellowship programs that particularly interest you, either due to the
organization’s focus, location, or the structure of the fellowship itself. Some programs limit
students to 10 applications; we don’t, but that is not a bad target. You will need to tailor and
personalize each cover letter and application, so you need to narrow down to a number that is
manageable.
3.) Reach out: If you are planning to apply for administrative fellowships, it is ESSENTIAL that
you identify your recommendation writers and contact them early to seek their participation.
Many fellowships require a "program director" letter, and at BUSPH, that person is your
concentration faculty director. It is strongly recommended that you contact your potential letter
writers by August 1, since many of the fellowship deadlines are in September and early October.
Many of the application processes require you to submit all materials on paper, in a single packet,
so the logistics of asking for and getting letters can be challenging. We also suggest that you
provide recommenders with electronic versions of your resume, your draft personal statement,
and a table listing the letters you need, with full address and salutation information, along with
submission method, and due dates (see example below). This will increase the likelihood of the
recommenders being able to provide what you are requesting, when you need it.
Fellowship
Name
Ann & Robert H.
Lurie Children's
Hospital of
Chicago
Administrative
Fellowship
Due
Date
12Sep14
Program
Director/
Academic
Number of
Recommend
-ations
How to Submit
Academic
3 Letters
Email Directly to
adminfellowship@luriec
hildrens.org
Salutation
Address for
Mailing
Website
Administrative
Fellowship
Candidate
Selection
Committee
adminfellow
ship@luriech
ildrens.org
https://www.luriechild
rens.org/en-us/forhealthcareprofessionals/pediatric
-educationtraining/Pages/adminis
trative_fellowship.aspx
Letter of
Recommendation
4.) Prepare: The interview process varies by fellowship, and the timeline tends to be fast. Programs
usually start with phone and/or Skype screening interviews, and if you are invited for an onsite
interview, it will likely be in mid-October to early November. Be sure you are prepared to travel
with appropriate attire, hard copies of your resume, a portfolio to carry them in, etc. Review the
video on the HPM concentrator Blackboard site in which a program alum discusses the
application/interview process. Be prepared to make some difficult decisions if you are invited for
conflicting interviews. Seek consultation from faculty advisor or career services.
5.) Career Services Office Resources: The following services can help in your preparation:
a. Fellowship Program listing located on Career Services Office website
b. Resume Review – make appointment via sphcareeroffice@bu.edu or attend drop-in
sessions listed on SPH Career Update.
c. Personal Statement Review – make appointment via sphcareeroffice@bu.edu. Please
allow 6 weeks before deadline for review and revisions.
d. Online Interview Guides for Screening, Behavioral and Case Interviews located in the
SPH CareerLink document library
e. In-person and phone Mock Interviews – make appointment via sphcareeroffice@bu.edu
6.) Frequently Asked Questions:
a. What is the difference between a Fellowship and a Job?
Often times we think of Fellowships as a “cross between an internship and a job.”
Fellowship opportunities are designed to provide you professional development along
with assigning you mission-critical projects over a set period of time.
b. Will the organization pay for my travel expenses to meet for an in-person interview?
Typically the Fellowship program point person arranges your travel through their travel
agent. If you pay yourself (i.e. airport taxi to hotel), save your receipts to submit for
reimbursement.
c. Can I negotiate during the offer stage?
Organizations typically have a pre-set salary budget for their Fellowship programs.
There is a wide range depending on geographic location, commonly between $50K$70K. These offers are usually non-negotiable in terms of salary, but it is still okay to
ask if there is flexibility with the salary. Another item to potentially negotiate is the cost
for your relocation if applicable.
If you receive an offer without salary information, you should ask. It is a best practice to
accept an offer after you receive specific salary information.
d. I have a summer vacation planned, and I see that most Fellowships begin in June.
Would I be able to start later?
It depends. Some organizations are flexible, as long as you make the effort to be as
flexible as you can be on your end to make it work. For example, if there is a departmentwide training being held once per year while you are away, perhaps see if you can be
Skyped in, etc.
e. Will I be hired into a permanent position after the Fellowship ends?
Most Fellowship organizations, particularly Administrative Fellowships, try to find a
permanent role for you assuming the Fellowship experience has been successful for you
and for them. It’s critical to network with colleagues as much as possible during your
Fellowship to increase your chances of being hired. Building your reputation goes a long
way.
Sample Fellowship Interview Questions
1. Tell me about yourself (professionally speaking).
2. Why are you interested in our institution?
3. What do you think sets us apart from other institutions?
4. What attributes do you believe are necessary to be a leader in today’s changing healthcare
landscape and why?
5. If you could change anything about Healthcare Reform, what would it be?
6. From a provider standpoint, what do you think are the biggest challenges and opportunities
related to the ACA? How about for payers? Patients?
7. How do you build relationships? What do you think is critical for gaining credibility with
colleagues, executives, clinicians?
8. What would you do if someone asked you to take on an important assignment, and you knew you
did not have the necessary background to complete the task?
9. Tell me about a time when you:
a. Dealt with a difficult team member – how did you handle it?
b. Had to be resourceful to get a project done.
c. Built consensus for change management with physicians, nurses and/or other clinical
professionals.
d. Leveraged technology to solve a problem.
e. While managing a project, you had to juggle competing demands. What were your
successes? What were your failures?
10. What are your strengths?
11. What are your weaknesses?
12. Why should we bring you in as a Fellow?
13. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years?
14. How will this Fellowship help you to advance in your career?
15. What questions do you have for me?
U.S. Administrative Fellowship Programs (partial list)
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Advocate Healthcare, Downers Grove, IL
Akron Children's Hospital, Akron, OH
Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital, Chicago, IL
Barnes- Jewish Hospital, St. Louis, MO
Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, MI
Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA
Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA
CarePoint Health, Bayonne, NJ
Carilion Clinic, Roanoke, VA
Carolinas Healthcare, Charlotte, NC
CHE Trinity Health, Livonia, MI
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
City of Hope National Medical Center, Monrovia, CA
Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
Cone Health, Greensboro, NC
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA
David A. Winston Fellowship, Washington, DC
Detroit Medical Center, Detroit, MI
Emory Healthcare, Atlanta, GA
Froedert Hospital, Milwaukee, WI
Geisinger Health System, Danville, PA
Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI
Holy Family Memorial Health, Manitowoc, WI
Houston Methodist, Houston, TX
Kaiser Permanente Southern California, Pasadena, CA (and others)
Lehigh Valley Health Network, Allentown, PA
Loyola University Medical Center, Chicago, IL
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, Palo Alto, CA
Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MI
MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Memorial Health System, Hollywood, FL
Mercy Health, Cincinnati, OH
Middlesex Hospital, Middletown, CT
MultiCare Health System, Tacoma, WA
Newton-Wellesley Hospital, Newton, MA
North Shore - LIJ Health System, New York, NY
Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL
Ochsner Health System Jefferson, Parish, LA
Presence Health, Chicago, IL
Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL
St. Joseph Health, Santa Rosa, CA
St. Louis Children's Hospital, St. Louis, MO
Stanford Health Care, Stanford, CA
Tenet Healthcare, Dallas, TX
UAB Health System, Birmingham, AL
UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
UCSF Medical Center, San Francisco, CA
University of Chicago Medicine, Chicago, IL
University of Pennsylvania Health System, Philadelphia, PA
UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA
Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN
Sources: National Council on Administrative Fellowships (www.nchl.org) and American College of Healthcare
Executives Directory of Fellowships (www.ache.org)