Master of Business Administration in Healthcare Management

Purpose

The purpose of Master of Business Administration in Healthcare Management is to equip learners with the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities at an advanced level to deal effectively with the challenges facing business management in the healthcare sector including public and private organisations.

Upon successful completion of this qualification, learners should be able to

• Contribute towards the extension of knowledge of business management and administration in a healthcare context.
• Demonstrate a critical knowledge of the specific fields and sub-disciplines of healthcare management.
• Demonstrate the ability to identify, analyse and solve management and commercial problems in a systematic, critical and creative way.
• Acquire a critical understanding of how to manage people, resources and processes in a healthcare context.
• Contribute to the socio-economic challenges of developing Southern Africa ethically and responsibly.
• Display ethical behaviour in a healthcare organisational context.

Rationale

Healthcare is a universal need, and the healthcare industry is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the global economy. Rising income level, greater health awareness, increased precedence of lifestyle diseases and improved access to insurance are the key contributors to the sector's growth. South Africa is no exception. According to a study (2013) conducted by Econex on behalf of the South African Private Practitioners Forum and Health Management, the country's healthcare contribution is 8.2 per cent of the GDP and is almost equivalent to that of the healthcare contribution of the average of the majority of OECD countries (8.9 per cent). In South Africa, private and public health systems exist in parallel. The public system serves the vast majority of the population but is chronically underfunded and understaffed. The wealthiest 20% of the population use the private system and better served.

As healthcare service delivery becomes complex because of changing population, disease profile and medical technology, so have the requirement for qualified healthcare managers increased. There is a pressing need for trained and skilled healthcare executives in healthcare management to lead and manage healthcare service delivery into the future. Additionally, the growth in middle class, the need to provide state of art healthcare for patients, improvements in medical technology, expansion of private health care and a growing realisation by the state of the need to get value for money from its health spending means that there will be significant opportunities for career advancement in health care management.

Besides, with the introduction of the South African National Health Insurance (NHI) in 2011, the need for qualified health care managers became even more urgent than ever. This transformation in the health care sector poses an enormous challenge which requires exceptional skills from those in positions of health care management. Improvement in the efficiency and effectiveness regarding the implementation and execution of healthcare strategies, along with the newly introduced NHI require competent, skilled and highly motivated managers.

To fulfil this growing demand for highly skilled healthcare managers, the institution plans to offer this qualification.

The qualification aims to provide knowledge about and develop skills for, to lead and to manage health systems and services, health professionals, and managing self as a leader and manager in contemporary and sophisticated healthcare. Healthcare managers and leaders lead the way from public health and preventive services in the community, to primary healthcare, emergency health services, hospital services, and rehabilitation and palliative care. The core curriculum of the qualification which is trans-disciplinary will include management disciplines of human resources, financial management and research skills in the interest of empowering modern health services managers with knowledge and skills to competently lead health services in an era of globalisation and mass disruptions.

The added thrust on the healthcare management qualification is to be able to develop a greater depth of highly skilled professional managers in this complex sector. As the industry ultimately targets the well-being of people, it requires coordinated participation of hospitals and healthcare institutions, pharmaceutical firms and diagnostic services, healthcare technologies, informatics, insurance providers, entrepreneurs and finally, the community of healthcare recipients.

Because of the above, the core modules of the qualification aims to skills managers at all levels who work in public and private healthcare sectors or related industries. The main objective will be to provide learners with a high level of analytical and conceptual skills, as well as practical knowledge so that they can succeed in today's complex healthcare environment.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

The institution recognises the importance of the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) in ensuring that learners that possess skills acquired through life or work experience and non-formal education. The RPL assessment will focus on ways of evaluating a person's lifelong experiences (formal and informal) against a set of pre-determined criteria.

Recognition of Prior Learning takes account of

• Formal study.
• Age.
• Work experience.
• Studies undertaken for personal gain/interest.
• Company-based training.
• Industry-based training.
• Working with experts in the field.
• Internships, and life experience.

Credit is granted for RPL when in the assessment of the institution's selection committee, the learner's knowledge and skills correspond to the learning outcomes of the course or specific module for related to the credit application. It is important to remember that the selection committee will focus on the quality and not the quantity of prior learning and experience, the extent to which the applicant can provide evidence of the threshold skills and knowledge for the qualification.

A Portfolio of Evidence (PoE) will be obtained from the applicant and evaluated by a qualified RPL assessor.

Entry Requirements

The minimum entry requirements for this qualification are

• An appropriate Honours Degree, NQF Level 8.

Or

• A relevant Postgraduate Diploma, NQF Level 8.

Or

• Any professional Bachelor's Degree, NQF Level 8.

This qualification consists of the following Compulsory and Elective Modules at Level 9 totalling 200 Credits.

Compulsory modules, Level 9: 190 Credits

• Strategic and Change Management, 15 Credits.
• Human Resource Management and Organisational Behaviour, 15 Credits.
• Healthcare Operations Management, 15 Credits.
• Financial Management, 15 Credits.
• Health Economics, 15 Credits.
• Contemporary Health Systems, 15 Credits.
• Managing Healthcare Projects and Risks, 15 Credits.
• Emerging Issues in Healthcare Management, 15 Credits.
• Research and Statistical Methods, 15 Credits.
• Knowledge and Information Systems, 10 Credits.
• Dissertation, 45 Credits.

Elective Modules, Level 9, 10 Credits (Select 1)

• Ethics and Law in Healthcare, 10 Credits.
• Health Policy, 10 Credits.
• Managerial Epidemiology, 10 Credits.

1. Contribute towards the extension of knowledge of business management and administration in a healthcare context.
2. Demonstrate a critical knowledge of the specific fields and sub-disciplines of healthcare management.
3. Demonstrate the ability to identify, analyse and solve management and commercial problems in a systematic, critical and creative way.
4. Acquire a critical understanding of how to manage people, resources and processes in a healthcare context.
5. Contribute to the socio-economic challenges of developing Southern Africa ethically and responsibly.
6. Display ethical behaviour in a healthcare organisational context.

• Apply quantitative methodologies in making work-based decisions.
• Critically and objectively interpret and evaluate evidence for decision making.
• Collect data to contribute towards the extension of knowledge of business management and administration.
• Display specialised management and advanced research skills in management science or related discipline.
• Utilise technology to solve work-based problems.
• Apply scientific enquiry and research methods in solving problems.
• Apply technology and research skills in solving work-related problems in the management of organisations.
• Apply the extension of knowledge towards the management of sciences through projects and seminar presentations.
• Utilise appropriate technology in various communication modes.
• Articulate and promote ideas and interests through effective communication in oral and written modes.
• Identify, analyse and solve highly complex management and commercial problems in a systematic, critical and creative way.
• Propose solutions to complex problems is demonstrated.
• Display understanding of how to manage people, resources and processes in a business context.

Integrated Assessment

Assessment methods measure the extent to which the learner has achieved competence in the different areas of study.

These assessment methods include

• Case studies.
• Report writing.
• Interpretative and analytical problem-solving.
• Work-based assignments.

Formative assessment implies being supportive to learning, non-judgemental and focused on providing constructive feedback or criticism to the learner, takes place during the learning process and informs planning of future learning activities: Summative assessment implies assessment to be mainly concerned with summing up the learning process and therefore usually takes place at the end of the relevant learning process.

Integrated assessment is used extensively across the qualification, particularly in the case studies. Self- and formative assessment takes place through case studies, assignments, including the writing of proposals and financial plans. Summative assessments are integrated into the learning in that they take place at the end of each of the constituent modules of the qualification.