Abstract
Are women represented in hospital CEO positions? Twenty-three hospitals in three counties were surveyed to answer this question. Surveys were done to determine the number and percentage of women in hospital CEO positions. Also identified were the beds controlled by women hospital CEOs within each county. From the county with the lowest percentage of women in CEO positions, an American College of Healthcare Executives survey, Gender and Career in Healthcare Management (GCHM), was conducted.
Two counties were above the national average for women CEOs at 23.3%. One county was at 25% and the other county was at 33%. The first county was at 52% and the second county was at 27% for control of percentage of beds by women hospital CEOs. The third county which was below the national average for women was at 11% with 1.3% of the beds controlled by women. In the results of the GCHM, women respondents were satisfied with advancement, infrequently engaging in informal networking within their current organizations, and perceived male stereotyping and preconceptions of women’s roles and abilities as the primary barrier to advancement. More research needs to be conducted on the counties with women hospital CEOs to identify the strategies that helped make these women in CEO positions a fact.