Administrative Residency
Become part of the team
Empowering future healthcare leaders.
Minnesota Mental Health Clinics invites current graduate students in healthcare management to apply for our Administrative Residency—a dynamic, hands-on summer program designed to provide emerging healthcare leaders with direct exposure to mental health system operations and strategy.
Residents will be embedded into high-impact projects aligned with organizational priorities and will work closely with senior leaders across multiple departments. If you’re looking for an opportunity to grow your administrative skills, deepen your understanding of the behavioral healthcare landscape, and contribute meaningfully to a mission-driven organization, this program is for you.
Program Highlights
Program Structure
Each summer resident will be matched to high-priority projects with exposure to several of the following domains:
- Strategic and business planning
- Program development and improvement
- Client access, experience, and satisfaction initiatives
- Financial analysis or performance reporting
- Workflow design and process optimization
- Community partnerships and marketing
Residents will:
- Participate in team meetings and executive briefings
- Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams
- Present project findings and recommendations to leadership at the end of the residency
Professional Development
The MMHC residency experience is designed to give you the tools, relationships, and confidence to take ownership of meaningful projects—and to help you envision the kind of leader you aspire to be in your healthcare career.
Previous Administrative Fellowship Projects
Internal Referral System Redesign in EHR
Led the end-to-end redesign of the internal referral process within the EHR to strengthen care coordination and referral completion.
Built and implemented new workflows that enhanced provider visibility into referral rationale, expectations, and next steps—improving continuity of care.
Introduced new tracking mechanisms for key referral metrics including volume, acceptance rates, and time to first appointment.
Collaborated across clinical operations, IT, and leadership teams to ensure seamless integration, adoption, and long-term sustainability.
New Staff Onboarding Process Improvement
Led an enterprise-wide initiative to enhance the clinician onboarding experience, improving staff readiness and retention.
Conducted a detailed gap analysis to identify inefficiencies, resulting in targeted process improvements across clinical, operational, and administrative domains.
Designed and implemented a cross-department communication framework that streamlined onboarding coordination.
Assessment Practicum Onboarding and Curriculum Creation
Co-led the creation of onboarding systems for assessment practicum students, aligning educational experiences with clinical needs.
Developed a structured training schedule to standardize the learning experience and reduce onboarding variability across student cohorts.
Partnered with senior leadership to co-design a 47-week comprehensive training curriculum, equipping students with foundational assessment competencies.
Assessment Clinic Expansion and Design
Contributed to the development of a high-impact business case that supported the expansion of services to include Autism Spectrum Disorder assessments in a new market.
Exposed to the design of clinical workflows, operational infrastructure, and support systems for a new diagnostic clinic—successfully building a scalable model within a historically low-margin service line.
Fellow Spotlight
“My residency at MMHC was more than a professional steppingstone—it was where my passion for operational innovation and strategic problem-solving truly came to life. I was entrusted with high-impact projects, from building scalable onboarding frameworks to conducting cost and reimbursement analyses that informed the expansion of our assessment clinics. I also had the opportunity to explore automation integration and workflow redesign, gaining hands-on exposure to the operational framework of mental health care. What made MMHC truly exceptional was the balance of autonomy and support—I was empowered by executive leadership, mentored closely by my preceptor, and uplifted by a dynamic team that championed growth and fresh thinking. Most importantly, it reminded me that meaningful change begins with people, purpose, and the courage to reimagine what’s possible in behavioral health. I left with sharper skills, a systems-thinking mindset, and a clearer vision of the kind of innovative, equity-driven leader I aspire to become.”
Amie Ndiaye, MHA Candidate 2026, University of Kentucky
Eligibility Criteria
Application Process
Step 1: Apply Online
Application link coming soon…
Step 2: First-Round Interview
Selected applicants will be invited to a first-round interview with the current Administrative Fellow and the Program Director
Step 3: Case-Based Second-Round Interview
Applicants invited to the second round will receive a case prompt via email.
You’ll develop a slide deck with your recommendations.
Submit completed deck to the Program Director by the deadline listed in the case instructions.
You will then present your case during the second-round interview to Executive Leaders, the Program Director, and Administrative Fellow.
Questions?
We welcome conversations with students, faculty, and career services partners. Please reach out to ocostley@mnmentalhealth.com for more information.