ACHE chapters are providing opportunities for members to prepare for the Board of Governors Examination in Healthcare Management. Learn about some of the efforts from the past year, along with news about diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and results from the 2023 Chapter Management and Awards Program.
Exam Preparation in Missouri
Over 12 weeks last fall, the Missouri Chapter of the American College of Healthcare Executives launched its inaugural Board of Governors Exam Study Group. Hosted virtually, 11 weekly sessions covered each of the 10 knowledge areas, and one week was dedicated to Exam specifics and test-taking tips. Study materials and session recordings were provided to all registrants.
Volunteer Fellows from across the chapter led each session. There were 15 registrants with a dozen, on average, attending each session.
The chapter is thankful to the inaugural class of registrants for making the event successful, affording an opportunity to study and for early careerists to network, build a cohort, grow professionally and be introduced to ACHE Fellow leaders across the state.
Many attendees were scheduled to take the Board of Governors Exam during the months following the course’s completion, and the event’s coordinators have been optimistic that the chance to study together has been a positive layer in the Exam takers’ preparation.
The chapter is especially thankful for the roster of chapter Fellows who did a phenomenal job hosting each of their sessions.
Exam Preparation in Maryland
Maryland Association of Health Care Executives, too, offered its members a Board of Governors Prep Course virtually, a series of 11 sessions to provide in-depth studies for the Exam. The chapter also promoted the program to ACHE’s Asian Healthcare Leaders online community to expand the opportunity to advance to Fellow for Asian leaders. It also shared this event with other chapters that are currently not offering an Exam prep course. There were 43 participants, including residents and nonresidents of Maryland, many of whom passed the Exam.
The chapter’s leadership also has been diligent with membership efforts led by its membership director. In November, it instituted a “reclaim your membership” drive to call members whose ACHE membership had lapsed and to encourage them to renew. The chapter is pleased to report that its membership has once again increased to more than 1,000 after a brief decline.
DEI Journey in North Texas
In 2022, ACHE of North Texas had a goal to become a strong, proactive chapter in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion and its multiyear journey to create belonging.
The chapter’s DEI journey started in 2016, and in 2022, it revamped the representation of its board leadership and appointed its first Black/Latina president. It also held a DEI-focused strategic planning retreat, integrated DEI goals in all committee work and assembled its first Asian Healthcare Leaders Community of North Texas event. Additionally, its Education Committee partnered with the DEI Committee on a case study focused on disparate impact and underserved communities, and the DEI Committee also started providing a social media posting recognizing heritage and special calendar recognitions.
This year, ACHE of North Texas created a DEI officer role. It also is working on initiatives to be more visible in underserved communities and is looking to expand board representation to include a disabled member.
Since 2017, the DEI Committee has grown 170%, to 27 members from 10 in 2022. Additionally, DEI education panel topics have increased 700%, to seven panels in 2022 from one panel in 2017.
Conversations among committee leadership help foster inclusion and success stories in committee work. Committee members are feeling more empowered to make sure their ideas and groups are represented. The chapter sees its DEI efforts as a model for members’ own organizations to create a more diverse, equitable and inclusive environment, as well as to deliver more compassionate care to the diverse patient populations they serve.
Congratulations to Our Winning Chapters
At the 2023 Congress on Healthcare Leadership, 16 ACHE chapters received performance awards as part of the Chapter Management and Awards Program. The award-winning chapters were honored during the Malcolm T. MacEachern Memorial Lecture and Luncheon. To receive recognition, chapters must meet or exceed one or more of the four performance standards based on a tiered recognition system.
ACHE uses the information from reports submitted by chapters to calculate the performance standards that must be met for the year. These performance standards are set annually by taking a three-year average of performance at the 90th percentile level for each standard.
Five chapters won the Award of Chapter Distinction; 11 chapters won the Award of Chapter Merit; and five chapters won the Award for Sustained Performance. For a complete listing, visit ache.org/ChapterManagementAwards.
To find your chapter, search the chapter directory. To discuss your ideas for chapters, contact Stacey A. Kidd, CAE, director, Chapter Relations, Department of Executive Engagement, at (312) 424-9323 or skidd@ache.org.