Mount Airy, NC – Eight graduates from the 2024 Northern Regional Leadership Academy – a comprehensive educational program designed to foster the leadership potential of employees who volunteer to participate in the rigorous six-month curriculum. The 2024 Class of Northern Leadership Academy included Tom Dunning, Page Hodge, Jenna Newman, Michaela Rowe, Courtney Simmons, Misty Smith, KenZee Vestal, and Katrina Wolfe.
Birth of the Academy
Author and speaker John Maxwell has noted, “The single biggest way to impact an organization is to focus on leadership development.” Those sentiments have been put into practice by Chris A. Lumsden, FACHE, President and Chief Executive Officer of Northern Regional Hospital. A nationally recognized leader in healthcare administration, Lumsden asked members of his NRH leadership team to custom-design a curriculum five years ago – using an educational model with which he was familiar – that would encourage and empower employees to become leaders.
“A job title does not define leadership,” Lumsden said emphatically. “We have many leaders throughout our organization who use their creativity, powers of persuasion, and persistence to inspire themselves and others to do great things. Our Leadership Academy aims to encourage those employees to strengthen and refine their leadership potential to improve patient care and enhance our community commitment while further advancing their personal and professional development.”
The program has two facilitators: Keith Moser, Director of Physician Practice Operations, and Mitchell Welborn, Clinical Pharmacy Coordinator, both of whom are Northern Leadership Academy alumni. The facilitators noted that the comprehensive curriculum exposes participants to all aspects of hospital operations, from attending Senior Leadership team meetings to touring facility spaces not typically visited or seen by most.
Employees interested in enrolling in the Leadership Academy must apply and then interview with a group of hospital administrators. “We’re looking for individuals willing to grow and eager to expand beyond their comfort zones,” explained Moser. “Participation in the Academy is not necessarily designed to be a stepping-stone to promotion. Rather, it’s to enable leaders to reach their potential within the context of the organizational mission.”
Academy Curriculum
Each Leadership Academy semester runs for six consecutive months, and each class is limited to approximately eight participants. Students are required to attend weekly class sessions on a variety of leadership-related topics; complete a pre-selected reading list; shadow selected members of the Hospital’s executive team; maintain journals to help reinforce impressions and new knowledge obtained from their experiences; attend legislative field trips in Raleigh, NC to better understand the relationship between business and governmental bodies; and present a final case study to serve as a formal proposal for a project or program they’d like to pursue.
Each participant is also assigned a mentor from among the Hospital’s key administrators. “Mentors act as a guide and valuable resource for students – especially as students become more adept at embracing the value of teamwork and seeing and appreciating ‘the big picture,'” explained Moser.
Before earning their graduation certificates, Leadership Academy students present their case studies – carefully researched project proposals that incorporate the values and practical business considerations explored in the curriculum. To date, all proposals presented have been approved for full implementation or remain under serious consideration by the Senior Leadership Team. “The essence of the Leadership Academy is best exemplified by the wide variety of dynamic, health-related programs and services proposed by our students,” said Lumsden. “It’s exciting and very rewarding to watch the growth of new leaders within our organization use their newfound knowledge to develop programs that further the mission of Northern Regional Hospital.”
Case studies
Several case study proposals were presented to leadership, including a visitor management system, emergency communication, a restorative nursing program, and a 5-star hiring process. “This year’s NLA class did an exceptional job on their case studies,” said Welborn. “With each presentation, the participants truly exemplified Northern Regional’s vision statement: ‘To be the healthcare system of choice for the community we serve.’ Each graduate put a lot of time and effort into their case study, which was shown during each presentation. Being one of this year’s facilitators for Northern Leadership Academy was an honor. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for each one of our graduates at Northern Regional Hospital.
Ongoing Success
“We are very encouraged by the success of our Leadership Academy,” said Lumsden. “By continuing to develop leaders within our Community Hospital, we can further improve and expand our ability to meet the healthcare needs of patients and the community. Since its establishment, we have graduated 38 individuals from the Academy. It’s a win-win-win arrangement and further validation of educational initiatives’ importance on professional development.”
