Certified Health Executive designation opens doors for MHLP students

Certifications and designations let employers and colleagues know that you have met the criteria required to claim expertise in a given area.

In Canada, the Certified Health Executive (CHE) certification is the only designation for healthcare leaders.

Issued by the Canadian College of Health Leaders (CCHL), the CHE is an important designation for demonstrating that its holders have the experience, capabilities and skills to guide and lead teams within the health-care sector.

In January 2023, the Master of Health Leadership and Policy (MHLP) and CCHL renewed their strategic alliance, making it easier for graduates of the MHLP in Seniors Care and Clinical Education to attain the CHE designation.

Criteria for Qualifying for the CHE Designation

The MHLP curriculum integrates the CCHL LEADS in a Caring Environment framework – Lead self, Engage others, Achieve results, Develop coalitions and Systems transformation – which is recognized by organizations across the country.

To qualify for the CHE, applicants must meet certain criteria, including academic qualifications and the completion of a LEADS in Action Project (both of which are met by the MHLP), completing a leadership development plan, submitting a LEADS 360 Assessment, and completing a self-evaluation of leadership attributes.

Applicants must also complete a 90-minute debriefing before the designation is conferred.

Pursuing the CHE Designation with the Support of MHLP Program

Encouraged by the support from MHLP faculty and staff, Sheena Park (nee Sibug) applied for the CHE in July 2022 when she was partway through the MHLP in Seniors Care program. She says that the MHLP instructors encouraged students to apply and that the program offered financial assistance that covered a portion of the $900 application costs.

“I saw the CHE as a valuable designation that demonstrates my capability to lead health-care organizations, work for transformation change and implement sustainable health-care initiatives,” she says.

Sheena expects to receive the designation later this year, and believes the certification will validate her leadership expertise and can help her build authentic relationships with other health-care professionals who share her desire to make a meaningful difference in the industry.

MHLP Program Director Dr. Cheryl Segaric also sees the value in the designation: “Through our partnership with CCHL, the CHE designation will position MHLP students as health-care leaders at the intersection of education and the Canadian health system,” she says.

“The opportunity for MHLP students to integrate leadership development and industry best practices with a commitment to lifelong learning will add tremendous value to their future as health leaders.”