Assess the development of your healthcare leadership competencies over the course of your MHA program using a STAR Format Competency Rating Table. In addition, write a one-paragraph reflection on your capstone experience, and create three SMART goals for your future healthcare leadership development.
Introduction
Throughout their careers, healthcare leaders must regularly assess their individual competencies and how those competencies align with organizational needs and priorities. Changing laws, regulations, technology, consumer preferences, medical treatment advances, and external environmental shifts can affect the skill sets needed for effective leadership. An accurate self-assessment is the first step in identifying potential gaps and in developing an action plan to close those potential gaps.
This assessment provides an opportunity for you to examine your leadership skills with respect to the NCHL health leadership competencies and assess your progress in developing those skills as you have advanced through your program.
Note: Each assessment of your capstone project is built on the work you have completed in previous assessments. Therefore, you must complete the assessments in the order they are presented.
Assignment Introduction
You have been practicing NCHL competencies throughout the program. Now is an ideal time to reflect upon your growth, and to set a few specific action steps for future career development. Examining your growth in each of the healthcare executive competencies is a helpful way to identify behavioral examples of skill execution.
This assessment has three parts:
Part 1: Leadership Self-Assessment
Assess the development of your leadership skills over the course of your MHA program.
Part 2: Reflection
Write a paragraph reflecting on your capstone project and what you learned about your own leadership abilities.
Part 3: Personal Development Plan
Identify measurable action steps for future career development by creating three SMART goals for future healthcare leadership competency development.
Instructions
Part 1: Leadership Self-Assessment
Complete a self-assessment of your health leadership competencies using the STAR Format Competency Rating Table Download STAR Format Competency Rating Table. Instructions for filling in the table are included in the document.
In completing the self-assessment, make sure you do the following:
Assess personal progress toward developing NCHL health leadership competencies.
Compare your baseline competency rating at the start of your program with your current competency rating.
Explain any new insights from your competency assessment.
Describe specific examples of how you have demonstrated NCHL health leadership competencies, with the intent of improving healthcare outcomes.
| calculated readmission percentages and cross-referenced them with factors like patient education scores and follow-up call data to find correlations. Result: The analysis revealed a significant correlation between poor patient education and a high readmission rate. This evidence-based finding became the cornerstone of my project's recommendations, directly informing a new patient education initiative. |
| Information Technology Management | 3 - Comfortable with basic office software; limited understanding of EHRs and health tech. | 4 - Proficient with common healthcare IT systems; understand their role in improving care. | Situation: As part of my internship, I was tasked with helping to audit the patient discharge workflow to improve efficiency. Task: I needed to propose a technology-driven solution that would streamline the discharge process and ensure all necessary information was captured. Action: I researched and assessed various electronic health record (EHR) modules and identified a feature that allowed for a customizable, interactive discharge checklist. I then developed a presentation demonstrating how this module could be integrated into our current system. Result: My analysis showed that implementing this feature would reduce the average discharge time by 10% and significantly improve data capture, which was noted in my final internship review as a valuable contribution. |
| Change Leadership | 2 - Lacked experience in leading organizational change; focused on executing tasks rather than strategic implementation. | 3 - Possess a foundational understanding of change management and can develop a plan for implementation. | Situation: My capstone project’s recommendations required buy-in from multiple departments, including nursing, IT, and hospital administration. Task: I had to create a strategic plan to effectively communicate the project's findings and gain stakeholder support for implementing my recommendations. Action: I tailored my communication to each stakeholder group. For nursing staff, I highlighted how the changes would improve patient outcomes. For hospital administrators, I focused on the financial benefits of reduced readmission penalties. I presented a clear implementation timeline and addressed potential concerns proactively. Result: My presentation was well-received, and the hospital's leadership expressed interest in moving forward with a pilot program for the post-discharge follow-up initiative, demonstrating my ability to lead and influence. |
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My self-assessment has provided a new and valuable insight: the competencies I have developed are deeply interconnected. My improved analytical thinking was foundational to identifying a problem and proposing a solution. My knowledge of IT management provided the tools to make those solutions practical. And without the ability to apply change leadership, my recommendations would have remained just an academic exercise. I now understand that effective healthcare leadership is not about excelling in a single skill but about synthesizing these competencies to drive meaningful change.
Part 2: Reflection
My capstone project was a powerful experience that solidified my understanding of what true healthcare leadership entails. Initially, I approached it as a complex assignment, focused on a good grade. As I delved into the data, however, I realized the problem—high readmission rates—wasn't just an abstract topic; it represented a genuine failure in care and a significant challenge for the organization. This shifted my mindset from that of a student to that of a problem-solver. I learned that my role as a leader is to first identify an issue, then to use objective data to understand its root causes, and finally, to develop an evidence-based, actionable plan. The process revealed my ability to connect theory to practice, and it gave me the confidence to present my findings to an audience of hypothetical executives. It taught me that the true measure of a leader is not just in their knowledge, but in their ability to use that knowledge to make a tangible, positive impact.
Part 3: Personal Development Plan (SMART Goals)
Based on my self-assessment, here are three SMART goals to guide my future healthcare leadership development.
Goal 1: Enhance Data Literacy and Analytical Skills
Specific: I will learn to use Tableau or Power BI to create advanced data visualizations and interactive dashboards.
Measurable: I will complete a certified training course in either software and successfully create a portfolio of three data dashboards by the end of my first year in a new role.
Achievable: These courses are readily available online, and I can allocate 5-10 hours per week for learning.
Relevant: As a healthcare leader, strong data visualization skills are crucial for communicating complex information to stakeholders and for making data-driven decisions.
Time-bound: I will achieve this goal within the next 12 months.
Goal 2: Gain Practical Experience in Change Management
Specific: I will volunteer to lead a small-scale process improvement or change management project within my new organization, focusing on a specific workflow.
Measurable: I will successfully lead and complete a project that results in a measurable improvement (e.g., a 10% reduction in patient wait times) and present the results to my department manager.
Achievable: I will proactively seek opportunities from my supervisor and demonstrate my readiness to take on a leadership role.
Relevant: This hands-on experience will build my confidence and competence in leading change, a core NCHL competency.
Time-bound: I will identify and propose a project within the first six months and aim to complete it within 18 months.
Goal 3: Develop Interpersonal and Communication Skills
Specific: I will become a certified professional mentor through my organization’s internal program or a recognized external body.
Measurable: I will successfully complete the certification program and mentor at least one junior colleague or intern during my first two years.
Achievable: I will reach out to my HR department to inquire about mentoring opportunities and enroll in any available training.