The Beacon Health System Administrative Fellowship with Jazmine Walker

Why Choose Healthcare Administration? From Bedside to Boardroom

Why did Jazmine Walker pursue a career in healthcare administration, and what prompted her shift from nursing to leadership? In her own words: “I actually started off as a nursing major at Michigan State… but I realized that although nurses’ jobs are super important, I couldn’t benefit the policy side of healthcare in the way that I wanted to by being on the bedside.”

Jazmine’s path began in clinical training, but her ambitions quickly expanded. It was her exposure to the University of Michigan Summer Enrichment Program that opened her eyes to the world of healthcare administration—the business and strategic dimensions that shape care delivery on a broader scale. She saw the pressing need for leaders who could address “the inequities and disparities in care,” and realized her greatest impact would come from influencing systems and policy rather than individual patient care.

Key drivers behind her decision:

• Direct exposure to disparities and systemic issues during nursing clinicals

• Discovery of administrative roles through summer enrichment programs

• The desire to make a difference on the policy side, not just at the bedside

Jazmine’s journey is a testament to the value of staying open to change and being willing to pivot when your purpose calls.

Graduate Training and the Power of Community: Why UNC Chapel Hill?

How did Jazmine select her graduate program, and what set UNC Chapel Hill apart? According to Jazmine, her path to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was both serendipitous and intentional: “UNC was very much so out of the blue… but even during the admissions day being virtual, I still felt so connected. I felt like I was at home. Alumni were still willing to help me and mentor me even though I wasn’t even accepted yet.”

Despite growing up in Michigan and never having heard of UNC Chapel Hill before a peer recommended it, Jazmine took the leap—and it paid off. She describes a powerful sense of belonging, even in a virtual environment disrupted by COVID-19, and highlights the supportiveness of both peers and alumni. The result? A learning environment where risk-taking, personal growth, and mentorship flourished.

Her decision criteria:

• Seeking a different, out-of-state experience to challenge herself

• Strong alumni and mentorship culture, even before admission

• Willingness to “go 12 hours away” for the right fit

For prospective fellows, her experience is a reminder: sometimes, the best career moves come from being open to unexpected opportunities and prioritizing a sense of belonging.

Building a Portfolio: Transformative Internships and Research

What experiences shaped Jazmine’s leadership perspective before Beacon? Two stand out:

1. University of Michigan Health Equity Leadership Collaborative

   • Her first research experience, which helped her understand that, “the importance of the research was understanding how important the healthcare administrator was to the clinical team.”

   • Analyzed simulations that highlighted team dynamics and patient experience.

2. Graduate Internship at WellDo, a Healthcare Tech Startup

   • “I was very interested in healthcare tech and innovation, and kind of using strategy to inform those policies and access to care.”

   • The role blended technology with strategy, giving her hands-on experience in software, clinical content management, literature reviews, and market assessments—skills that many MHA graduates lack.

What sets these apart:

• Exposure to nontraditional, tech-forward roles in healthcare

• Early leadership in health equity and team-based research

• A portfolio combining both research and real-world impact

Jazmine’s advice to current students? Don’t be afraid to “refuse to go to a hospital” if a nontraditional path excites you. Her story underlines the power of seeking roles that genuinely align with your passion—even if it means waiting longer for the right fit.

Applying for the Beacon Health System Administrative Fellowship

How did Jazmine secure her place in the Beacon Health System Administrative Fellowship, and why Beacon? Her journey was unorthodox: “I have the untraditional path to a healthcare fellowship. Long story short, I lost a grandparent… and so when that happened, I promised [my mom] I would come back. We’re all very close.”

This personal event reshaped her geographic priorities. By the time she started looking, most fellowship applications had closed. Through persistence and research—specifically, the ACHE fellowship database—she found Beacon’s program, which still had an open deadline. She “only applied to one Fellowship,” connecting with current fellows on LinkedIn and completing a three-round interview process.

Her process, step-by-step:

1. Searched the ACHE fellowship database for open deadlines

2. Reached out to current fellows for informational interviews

3. Completed phone, Zoom, and in-person interviews

4. Accepted the offer and relocated to South Bend, Indiana

The lesson: Focus and authenticity can trump volume. Jazmine’s 100% “success rate” wasn’t luck—it was about fit, preparation, and purpose.

Life as a Beacon Health System Fellow: Community, Challenge, and Culture Shock

What is it like to transition into the Beacon Health System and the South Bend community? Jazmine is candid: “It was a very close-knit town… For me personally, it wasn’t as easy to assimilate in the area as I thought it would be. Just certain things were different. It wasn’t as diverse as other areas that I was in, and so for a while, I struggled trying to find community.”

She describes a classic Midwest experience—rural, less diverse, and a big shift from Detroit or Chapel Hill. Yet, Beacon and her fellow administrative fellows made a significant difference. “Thankfully, a couple of the fellows that were there are people of color, so we connected and we kind of started to hang out and explore the area a little bit… but I think initially it was hard just because of the culture shock.”

Key transition points:

• Adjustment to a smaller, rural, less diverse environment

• Value of peer support and affinity groups

• Beacon’s ongoing work to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) through mentorship and internal programs

Jazmine’s experience is both a call to action and a practical case study for how institutions can better support incoming leaders from diverse backgrounds.

Driving Equity and Change: Jazmine’s Projects and DEI Work

How is Jazmine shaping the conversation around diversity, equity, and inclusion at Beacon Health System? While not officially part of the DEI office, she’s hands-on: “My mentor is the chief HR officer… I’ve done some projects with them around kind of workforce development, how do we give opportunities to our employees that are here to remove those barriers that may be in their way for being promoted or from advancing their career.”

She emphasizes an indirect but persistent approach: “I do think because of who I am and my experiences and my passion and connection to healthcare, I guess indirectly, I’m always putting some type of health equity into each project that I do because that’s just who I am.”

Her DEI-related impact includes:

• Working on workforce development and mentorship program cohorts

• Promoting equity and advancement within the organization

• Infusing health equity perspectives into every project, regardless of official scope

The takeaway: Embedding equity into organizational DNA requires both formal programs and “everyday leadership”—where individuals leverage their background and values to drive change.

Rotations, Technology, and Operations: Inside the Fellowship Experience

What does the Beacon Health System Administrative Fellowship actually involve? Jazmine is clear: the program is flexible, hands-on, and eye-opening.

“It’s a two-year program, but most fellows actually get brought on before the two years is done… I know operations—I was very much against operations, I’ll be transparent and say that—but I actually liked it a lot more than I thought I would. It’s like drinking from a running fire hose 24/7. It’s very chaotic, but I did enjoy the work.”

Her rotations have spanned:

• Hospital operations: Immersive, fast-paced, and critical for understanding day-to-day healthcare management.

• Information Technology and Innovation: Three months focused on AI, robotic process automation, and operational efficiency. “We use a lot of—or we’re exploring a lot of—generative AI things, robotic process automation, things of that nature.”

This combination gives fellows a uniquely holistic experience, preparing them to lead in a landscape where digital transformation is no longer optional.

Innovation in a Community Setting: Using AI and Automation

How is Beacon Health System leveraging AI and automation, and what role do fellows play? Contrary to assumptions that innovation is limited to large urban academic centers, Jazmine reveals: “Beacon is the largest health system in the region… we support the southern area of Michigan but also the upper northern area of Indiana. So it’s like, how do we reach all of our populations and make sure that it’s equitable?”

She has been directly involved in:

• Updating forms using generative AI for reduced administrative burden

• Exploring robotic process automation (RPA) to streamline repetitive tasks

• Emphasizing that RPA is not about replacing jobs but about “making the most of our time, doing things efficiently.”

Fellows at Beacon are expected to think both strategically and tactically, bringing new technology to bear on persistent, systemic challenges.

Candid Advice: Navigating Career Change and Authenticity

What advice does Jazmine have for those just starting out—or those, like her, who may pivot mid-course? She distills her wisdom into several direct recommendations:

1. Don’t Be Tunnel Visioned: “I just knew I was going to be a nurse. No one could tell me otherwise… but I had to be honest—I immediately knew that it wasn’t the career for me.” Stay open to opportunities and let your passion evolve.

2. Embrace Risk and Uncertainty: Sometimes, the “wrong” turn leads to your calling. “If I had never done that summer internship, I would have never known about healthcare administration—I’d never heard of it before.”

3. Seek Mentors and Ask Questions: Be inquisitive and lean into experiences, even if you’re the only one who looks like you at the table.

4. Stay Authentic: “I can only hope that people appreciate me as myself in these spaces.” Success isn’t about fitting a mold, but about leveraging your unique voice.

Conclusion: Lessons for Aspiring Fellows and Healthcare Leaders

The Beacon Health System Administrative Fellowship—as experienced by Jazmine Walker—is more than just a career launchpad. It’s a living example of how the right program, paired with courage and authenticity, can create real impact. Jazmine’s story reminds us that innovation doesn’t only happen in the big city, that DEI is a daily practice, and that every leader’s journey is unique.