Postgraduate - CourseMaster of Health Services Management

This course, offered by the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, provides professionals currently in, or seeking to be in, middle and senior health care management positions who wish to expand their knowledge and skills in the management of health services. It caters for the special needs of medical and general hospital administrators, clinical doctors, quality assurance managers, team leaders, senior nursing administrators, unit managers and a range of general task coordinators within the health care system.

These course outcomes are aligned with the Australian Qualifications Framework level 9, the Bologna Cycle 2 and Monash Graduate AttributesAustralian Qualifications Framework level 9, the Bologna Cycle 2 and Monash Graduate Attributes (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/alignmentofoutcomes.html).

Upon successful completion of this course it is expected that graduates will be able to:

• apply the principles of financial and information management to a health care organisation
• appreciate the economic and political influences and their relationships to health policy
• analyse the basic elements of health care systems and compare recent health care reforms
• critically appraise the interface between health care management theory and practice
• develop the epidemiological and statistical skills necessary for evidence-based medicine, quality improvement and program evaluations
• use international comparisons of health care systems and recent reforms to analyse the various models of funding, delivering, co-coordinating and developing health care systems
• use international comparisons of health care systems and recent reforms to analyse the various models of funding, delivering, co-coordinating and developing health care systems
• demonstrate an understanding of medico-legal issues and business law as applied to the management of health services
• and develop skills in health care quality measurement, quality assurance, and quality improvement
• analyse complex work place management problems and appropriate problem-solving techniques
• demonstrate interpersonal, communication and leadership skills appropriate for health care managers, skills in literature review, report writing, oral presentations, verbal and visual communications and the basic use of spreadsheet, data-base, statistical and word-processing computer software
• develop skills in a number of areas of special interest as defined in the specific objectives of individual elective units.

Assessment

Assessment includes web-based tasks, written assignments, examinations, and individual and group presentations.

Medical graduates who are students undertaking this course and wanting to satisfy the requirements for The Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators (RACMA) Fellowship need to complete the following units:

• MPH5040 Introductory epidemiology
• MPH5041 Introductory biostatistics
• MPH5213 Research methods
• MPH5283 Ethics, good research practice and practical research skills

This degree is accredited by The Australasian College of Health Service Management (ACHSM) for College entry and advancement purposes.

This course consists of eight core units and three elective units.

Students complete:

• MPH5020 Introduction to epidemiology and biostatistics or MPH5040 Introductory epidemiology and MPH5041 Introductory biostatistics
• MPH5265 Law for health systems
• MPH5266 Clinical leadership and management
• MPH5267 Principles of health care quality improvement
• MPH5268 Financial issues in health care management
• MPH5269 Foundations of health policy
• MPH5272 Reform and development of health services
• MPH5273 Case study in health services management

plus three of:

• ECC5970 Introduction to health economics
• GHS5850 Nursing leadership and management
• MPH5042 Climate change and public health
• MPH5213 Research methods
• MPH5283 Ethics, Good research practice and practical research skills
• MPH5285 Human factors for patient safety
• MPH5286 Applying and practicing the principles of patient safety and quality improvement
• NUR5315 Advanced nursing practice in context
• MAP4200 Improving indigenous equity in professional practice
• any postgraduate unit offered by the School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine

Suitable units can be identified using the browse units toolbrowse units tool (http://www.monash.edu.au/pubs/handbooks/units/search) in the current edition of the Handbook; postgraduate units are those that commence with the numbers 4-5 and 9.

• Health services management

Students wishing to exit this course may apply to graduate with one of the following, provided they have satisfied the requirements for that award:

• 2870 Graduate Certificate in Health Services Management
• 2314 Graduate Diploma in Health Services.

Master of Health Services Management