Supporting our clinicians and each other

Leadership Institute Signature Series

Signature Series programs build a robust and diverse talent pipeline for key executive roles. For example, the Executive Residency Program (ERP) is a one-year resident experience that provides exposure, on-the-job training and education to recent graduates from master’s programs in healthcare administration (MHA) and business administration (MBA). ERP graduates have an 86% placement rate into high-impact operational roles. In addition, the Executive Development Program (EDP) purposefully prepares leaders for hospital executive roles such as chief financial officer (CFO), chief nursing officer (CNO) and chief operating officer (COO). Thirty-five percent of our current CFOs, CNOs and COOs are graduates of the EDP.

In 2023, the Leadership Institute will offer the Chief Leadership Program for CNOs designed to build leadership capabilities including organizational performance, strategic thinking and creating a culture of outstanding patient care. The Director Development Program for emergency services, surgical services and critical care leaders will be expanded to include case management in 2023.

Strengthening diversity and engagement of hospital boards

At HCA Healthcare, we are committed to advancing the diversity of our hospital boards of trustees so that our boards reflect the diverse communities we serve and include a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives. We value increased board representation of people of color and women, as well as a balanced composition of community leadership roles and professional areas of expertise. We are actively supporting division presidents and hospital CEOs with guidance to help ensure our market advisory councils and hospital boards of trustees reflect the communities we serve.

In addition, 2022 marked the first year during which HCA Healthcare centralized and formalized a board of trustees member engagement survey, which received a 88% participation rate.

Results from the survey showed that 97% of our hospital board members responded positively when assessing their emotional and intellectual commitment to the role within the hospital. The detailed results will serve as a baseline to evaluate not only board member engagement but also board effectiveness, including informing future governance practices and ongoing efforts to strengthen hospital boards and maximize our collective impact for our patients, colleagues and communities.

Fostering diversity and inclusion in the workplace

We are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace for our colleagues. We have a responsibility to ensure equity from the inside out, and this means listening to the diverse experiences and perspectives of our colleagues, and acting on our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) commitments.

The Black Senior Leadership Council, co-led by CEO Sam Hazen and Chief Diversity Officer Sherri Neal, was established in 2020 to champion initiatives to support our Black colleagues and communities. As a recommendation from this council, the HCA Healthcare Sponsorship Program was launched in 2022. The program’s first cohort was comprised of 16 Black leaders, each of whom was paired with a more senior executive invested in creating opportunities to accelerate their advancement in leadership.

• In 2022, four of the protégés received promotions upon completion of the sponsorship program
• 100% of protégés said they would recommend the sponsorship program to a colleague
• 100% of the program’s sponsors said they would serve as a sponsor again  

The second cohort of HCA Healthcare’s sponsorship program for leaders of color commenced in 2023 and expanded to include Black, Hispanic/Latinx and Asian leaders.

In addition, in 2023, the Black Senior Leadership Council will introduce a Black Leadership mentor program, which will pair new-in-role Black executives with a member of the Black Senior Leadership Council.