Local executive earns top healthcare management credential
Defiance, OH - Sonya S. Selhorst, FACHE, administrator of Mercy Defiance Hospital and Mercy Pre-hospital Transport Services, recently became a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE), the nation’s leading professional society for healthcare leaders.
Sonya has more than 23 years of healthcare experience and has served as administrator for Mercy Defiance Hospital since 2012. She has been with Mercy and Mercy Health for most of her career having served at St. Rita’s in Lima for 21 years before coming to Defiance. While at St. Rita’s, Sonya served as the director of the urgent care service line. Sonya also worked as a transport nurse for the Life Flight base in Bluffton for nearly 11 years. Sonya is a registered nurse and has a bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration as well as a master’s degree in business administration.
Sonya will be awarded the distinction at a convocation ceremony in Chicago on March 13.
“I am personally committed to lifelong learning and professional development. Achieving the highly regarded credential of FACHE is a testament to the competence, commitment and personal values of a focused and disciplined leader,” Sonya said.
Fellow status represents achievement of the highest standard of professional development. In fact, only 9,200 healthcare executives hold this distinction. To obtain Fellow status, candidates must fulfill multiple requirements, including passing a comprehensive examination, meeting academic and experimental criteria, earning continuing education credits and demonstrating professional/community involvement. Fellows are also committed to ongoing professional development and undergo recertification every three years.
“The healthcare management field plays a vital role in providing high-quality care to the people in our communities, which makes having a standard of excellence promoted by a professional organization critically important,” said Deborah J. Bowen, FACHE, CAE, president and CEO of ACHE. “By becoming an ACHE Fellow and earning the distinction of board certification from ACHE, healthcare leaders demonstrate a commitment to excellence in serving their patients and the community.”
For more information regarding the FACHE credential, please contact the ACHE Division of Member Services at 312-424-3400, by emailing contact@ache.org, or visit ache.org/FACHE.
About Mercy
Mercy is a member of Mercy Health (formerly Catholic Health Partners), the largest health system in Ohio and one of the largest non-profit systems in the country. Locally, Mercy is based in Toledo, Ohio and serves 20-counties in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan. Mercy provides comprehensive primary and critical care services to residents as well as a robust physician group, Mercy Medical Partners, Life Flight critical air transport services and Mercy College of Ohio.
Mercy is proud to provide over $92 million in community benefit in 2014 which includes charity care and community health services. With more than 7,300 employees and 2,200 medical staff members, Mercy has been a part of the Northwest Ohio community it serves for 160 years. Please visit mercyweb.org for additional information and connect with Mercy on Facebook and Twitter @mercynwohio.
About the American College of Healthcare Executives
The American College of Healthcare Executives is an international professional society of 40,000 healthcare executives who lead hospitals, healthcare systems and other healthcare organizations. ACHE offers its prestigious FACHE® credential, signifying board certification in healthcare management. ACHE’s established network of more than 80 chapters provides access to networking, education and career development at the local level. In addition, ACHE is known for its magazine, Healthcare Executive, and its career development and public policy programs. Through such efforts, ACHE works toward its vision of being the premier professional society for healthcare executives dedicated to improving health. The Foundation of the American College of Healthcare Executives was established to further advance healthcare management excellence through education and research. The Foundation of ACHE is known for its educational programs – including the annual Congress on Healthcare Leadership, which draws more than 4,000 participants – and groundbreaking research. Its publishing division, Health Administration Press, is one of the largest publishers of books and journals on health services management including textbooks for college and university courses.
Sonya has more than 23 years of healthcare experience and has served as administrator for Mercy Defiance Hospital since 2012. She has been with Mercy and Mercy Health for most of her career having served at St. Rita’s in Lima for 21 years before coming to Defiance. While at St. Rita’s, Sonya served as the director of the urgent care service line. Sonya also worked as a transport nurse for the Life Flight base in Bluffton for nearly 11 years. Sonya is a registered nurse and has a bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration as well as a master’s degree in business administration.
Sonya will be awarded the distinction at a convocation ceremony in Chicago on March 13.
“I am personally committed to lifelong learning and professional development. Achieving the highly regarded credential of FACHE is a testament to the competence, commitment and personal values of a focused and disciplined leader,” Sonya said.
Fellow status represents achievement of the highest standard of professional development. In fact, only 9,200 healthcare executives hold this distinction. To obtain Fellow status, candidates must fulfill multiple requirements, including passing a comprehensive examination, meeting academic and experimental criteria, earning continuing education credits and demonstrating professional/community involvement. Fellows are also committed to ongoing professional development and undergo recertification every three years.
“The healthcare management field plays a vital role in providing high-quality care to the people in our communities, which makes having a standard of excellence promoted by a professional organization critically important,” said Deborah J. Bowen, FACHE, CAE, president and CEO of ACHE. “By becoming an ACHE Fellow and earning the distinction of board certification from ACHE, healthcare leaders demonstrate a commitment to excellence in serving their patients and the community.”
For more information regarding the FACHE credential, please contact the ACHE Division of Member Services at 312-424-3400, by emailing contact@ache.org, or visit ache.org/FACHE.
About Mercy
Mercy is a member of Mercy Health (formerly Catholic Health Partners), the largest health system in Ohio and one of the largest non-profit systems in the country. Locally, Mercy is based in Toledo, Ohio and serves 20-counties in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan. Mercy provides comprehensive primary and critical care services to residents as well as a robust physician group, Mercy Medical Partners, Life Flight critical air transport services and Mercy College of Ohio.
Mercy is proud to provide over $92 million in community benefit in 2014 which includes charity care and community health services. With more than 7,300 employees and 2,200 medical staff members, Mercy has been a part of the Northwest Ohio community it serves for 160 years. Please visit mercyweb.org for additional information and connect with Mercy on Facebook and Twitter @mercynwohio.
About the American College of Healthcare Executives
The American College of Healthcare Executives is an international professional society of 40,000 healthcare executives who lead hospitals, healthcare systems and other healthcare organizations. ACHE offers its prestigious FACHE® credential, signifying board certification in healthcare management. ACHE’s established network of more than 80 chapters provides access to networking, education and career development at the local level. In addition, ACHE is known for its magazine, Healthcare Executive, and its career development and public policy programs. Through such efforts, ACHE works toward its vision of being the premier professional society for healthcare executives dedicated to improving health. The Foundation of the American College of Healthcare Executives was established to further advance healthcare management excellence through education and research. The Foundation of ACHE is known for its educational programs – including the annual Congress on Healthcare Leadership, which draws more than 4,000 participants – and groundbreaking research. Its publishing division, Health Administration Press, is one of the largest publishers of books and journals on health services management including textbooks for college and university courses.