The UI Health Chicago Administrative Fellowship offers unparalleled visibility, mentorship, and real-world leadership experience for early-career healthcare administrators. As Karl Gieske put it, “Just the sponsorship you get from being an administrative fellow and the visibility you get within the organization is just, it’s so important and it opens doors.”
Key features of the UI Health Administrative Fellowship include:
Direct exposure to senior leadership, decision-making, and high-impact projects across the health system
A culture of support: Mentorship is a cornerstone, with preceptors and executives actively invested in fellows’ growth
Project-based learning: Fellows are assigned critical initiatives that prepare them for roles beyond entry-level management
According to Karl, the “patient-first” focus is embedded throughout the fellowship. “For me, it’s always been very patient-focused—that’s why I decided to be a Navy Corman, I wanted to take care of people. And as you gain rank, you get a little further away from taking care of people directly, but then you’re taking care of the people that are taking care of people, and that becomes your why.” This shift from bedside to leadership is intentional—and fundamental to UI Health’s approach.
Karl’s nearly 11-year tenure as a Navy Corman—serving both domestically and on three overseas deployments—provided a foundation of discipline, adaptability, and service leadership. In his words: “The work ethic and the never quit mentality that’s instilled in you in the military is just kind of part of it. One of the things that we love to say on the Infantry side is ‘embrace the suck.’ There are days that were hard, obviously in grad school, and there are going to be more days ahead during everybody’s career. So, get comfortable with it, embrace the lack of comfort, and thrive in it.”
Specific ways his military background benefits his healthcare career include:
Handling adversity: From labor and delivery in Bethesda to casualty receiving in Kuwait and Afghanistan, Karl learned to operate under pressure and uncertainty.
Patient-centered values: “What I’m most proud of isn’t on my resume. When I was in Afghanistan, I took the same care of the enemy that I took care of my people.”
Team-oriented leadership: The military emphasis on “taking care of your own” directly informs his leadership philosophy in civilian healthcare.
This perspective allows Karl to bring a sense of calm, prioritization, and ethics to complex healthcare environments—qualities that are highly valued in administrative fellowships like UI Health’s.
Transitioning into healthcare administration later in life often means facing fear of the unknown, impostor syndrome, and adapting to new academic and professional cultures. Karl spoke candidly: “The fear of the unknown, I think, is what really kind of derails people. Healthcare administration wasn’t even on my radar until after I’d gotten a year of undergrad done and then kind of switched.”
Karl’s path underscores several important realities:
Career pivots are normal: After the military, he even attended pro baseball umpire school before returning to healthcare as a patient care tech.
Impostor syndrome is common: “A lot of us suffer from impostor syndrome—do we really belong here? Just getting over that and gaining that confidence as you go is what makes it all worth it in the end.”
Support systems matter: Karl credits his wife’s encouragement for pushing him to apply to grad school, despite self-doubt: “I said, well, I don’t know if I’m smart enough to do that. She said, just try it. Take the GRE, try it, apply.”
His advice for others? Break intimidating transitions into manageable steps. “When it gets hard, get through the next day. If that’s too overwhelming, get through the next meal…get through that next minute and that’s your small win. Build off that small win.”
A sense of injustice—and a desire to lead with integrity—drove Karl to pursue his MHA and the UI Health Administrative Fellowship. He describes a pivotal moment during the pandemic: “I just literally had come out of a room, I’m sweating, my face hurts from the N95, and the news I get is that one of the leaders in the organization had taken a massive bonus…in the midst of our 401K match being cut and part of some of our benefits being cut.”
In that moment, Karl realized, “If I’m ever in that position to have to make that decision, that’s not the one I’m going to make. I want to take care of the people that are doing the work. That was really the nexus.” He emphasizes that leadership is not just about making tough calls, but about “taking care of your people.”
For prospective fellows, having a clear “why” is crucial:
Reflect on your motivation for pursuing healthcare administration
Connect purpose to action: Let personal values inform your leadership style
Be authentic: Karl’s honesty in his fellowship interview set him apart—“My answer is part of what got me the fellowship because it was raw and I was able to be my true authentic self.”
Karl found graduate school less intimidating than expected—because he focused on adaptability and incremental progress rather than perfection. “I was lucky, I had no idea what to expect. I went in completely blind and, almost on a whim, so I think that benefited me. I didn’t have a chance to psych myself out.”
Tips for success in graduate school or high-stress environments:
Don’t overthink it: Jump in and adapt as you go, rather than psyching yourself out
Break big tasks into small wins: Focus on getting through the next minute, then the next hour, then the next day
Lean on your training: Transfer discipline and coping mechanisms from previous experiences (military, sports, etc.)
Embrace discomfort: Accept that challenge and occasional setbacks are part of the growth process
This mindset shift—embracing uncertainty and building momentum through small, consistent steps—can make all the difference, especially for career changers or those returning to academia after time away.
While not strictly required, an administrative fellowship like UI Health’s can dramatically accelerate your career trajectory in healthcare leadership. Karl is direct: “I don’t think I would be prepared to step into a potential next role that I’m looking at without it…just the sponsorship and the visibility you get are so important, and it opens doors.”
Key reasons the fellowship matters:
Accelerated exposure: Access to senior leaders, strategic projects, and internal opportunities
Professional sponsorship: Mentors and advocates who actively invest in your development
Career clarity: Space and resources to find your “why” and align your skills accordingly
Karl also acknowledges that alternative routes exist: “There are some just incredibly talented and brilliant people out there that don’t do fellowships and they do very well.” For him, though, the fellowship was a way to bridge the gap between bedside clinical work and executive management, especially as an older, nontraditional student.
Military organizations thrive on hierarchy, chain of command, and a culture of precision—while civilian healthcare administration requires more negotiation, influence, and relationship-building. Karl reflects: “Everything is very regimented, there’s a direct chain of command, and you don’t talk to person C without going to person A and B. That’s just how it is.”
Key differences:
Decision-making: In the military, decisions are often made rapidly and executed without question; in healthcare admin, decisions are more collaborative and data-driven
Communication: Civilian healthcare requires “reading the room,” navigating politics, and building consensus
Confidence: Trusting your own judgment, even when the path isn’t spelled out
Karl is candid about his own ongoing growth: “It’s definitely still a struggle of mine…knowing my place and being able to trust that I wouldn’t be in this position if those leaders didn’t trust me. So having that confidence and being able to make those decisions for myself is something I’m still working on.”
Repeated exposure, honest feedback, and embracing discomfort are Karl’s top strategies for building public speaking skills and confidence with senior leaders. “The more you do it, the easier it gets. There’s no magic answer to how to get comfortable with it, you just kind of got to keep rolling with it.”
Karl’s journey:
Case competitions: Participating in four grad school case competitions served as a “pressure cooker” and accelerated his learning curve
Practice under pressure: Presenting to senior executives gets easier with each attempt
Feedback as growth: Harsh feedback—like being told he spoke too fast—was difficult but led to improvement
For those feeling nervous about public speaking or networking with leaders, Karl’s advice is simple: “Keep showing up, seek feedback, and trust your preparation.”
Karl Gieske’s story is a testament to the power of purpose-driven leadership, humility, and relentless growth. The UI Health Chicago Administrative Fellowship is more than a stepping stone—it’s an incubator for leaders who see service as their mission. As you consider your own journey in healthcare administration, remember Karl’s advice: “Take care of the people that are taking care of the people…When it gets hard, get through the next day. If the next day is too overwhelming, get through the next meal, the next minute. Build off that small win and just keep moving forward.” Whether you’re a mid-career changer, a new graduate, or an aspiring executive, the combination of self-awareness, adaptability, and authentic purpose is your greatest asset in healthcare leadership.
