Assessing Healthcare Leader Competency Proficiency Levels in Evaluating Graduate Healthcare Leadership Student Competency Proficiency Levels and Curriculum

Healthcare leaders must possess specific competencies to perform their job requirements by identifying what competencies may need development and take steps to further their education, knowledge, and proficiency. This exploratory research aims to utilize industry data when evaluating student competency proficiency and how that data might impact curriculum development. The research question that is addressed: At what competency proficiency level do working healthcare leaders rate themselves utilizing Benner’s Novice to Expert Theory (1982)? Graduate programs should evaluate current industry data to evaluate how students’ progress in their programs and determine if curriculum changes are needed. Graduate programs should also determine a competency proficiency level goal that students will achieve based off stakeholder input. Twenty-two healthcare leaders from a Midwest, non-profit healthcare organization were invited to participate in an online survey that utilized a 5-point Likert scale in which participants rated their level of proficiency across five domains: (a) leadership, (b) professionalism, (c) communication and relationship building, (d) knowledge of the healthcare environment, and (e) business skills. The corresponding competencies were adapted from the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) Competencies Tool (2019) and the Healthcare Leadership Alliance (HLA) Competency Directory (2010). The majority of participants rated themselves between competent and intermediate/ advanced on the competencies. Corresponding means and modes were rated highest with levels above three (intermediate) and four (between intermediate/advanced) related to the domains of leadership, professionalism, and communication and relationship building. The domains of knowledge of the healthcare environment and business skills had intermediate and intermediate/advanced ratings with lower means compared to the other three domains. The results of this study could help graduate programs define a program goal for student competency proficiency level and design a plan to utilize industry data to design, evaluate, and update graduate curriculum to help students meet the identified competency proficiency goal.