Developing Healthcare Leaders, Fostering Collaboration, and Facilitating Transformation in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Practice-Based Synthesis Projects in a Global Executive Graduate Program

Abstract

[EN] At the 2015 International Hospital Federation (IHF) World Congress in Chicago, Illinois, USA, the Global Consortium for Healthcare Management Professionalization presented a call to action to professionalize the field of healthcare management. Governments and organizations that seek to realize the benefits of professional healthcare managers may meet this challenge by providing educational opportunities to established executives who are positioned to lead and ultimately mentor future managers. This paper introduces a case example of an executive graduate program in health administration, delivered by a university in the United States in partnership with the Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia, with the aim of developing Saudi healthcare professionals as healthcare leaders. We share challenges, experiences and insights related to adapting a US curriculum for the Saudi working executives during a time of transformation in the Kingdom. We also provide a detailed description of the Executive Management Study, an applied synthesis activity required for all executive learners in the program. Results of an alumni survey are incorporated to demonstrate graduates’ perceptions of the effectiveness of the learning experience.