Master of Public Health

Purpose

The purpose of the qualification is to prepare Nursing Practitioners to function at primary, secondary, and tertiary levels of care within the Comprehensive Health Framework of the National Health System of South Africa. Such a practitioner will be able to function independently within society and in the community, and be guided in his/her professional practice by legal parameters and the ethical and moral values of the profession.

This qualification will bridge the gap that exists between the expertise and experience of health professionals and the skills required for management of health care services, by preparing professionals to play leadership roles in Public Health Research and Management of the health care system. The problem-based learning will enable Nursing Practitioners to use current theories, research, strategic plans, policies and evidence based practices and the qualification will increase research skills so that practitioners can provide relevant services aligned to the needs of those in their care.

By the end of the qualification the learner will be able to

• Apply appropriate policy and effective action in addressing priority problems in public health.
• Apply specialised knowledge in one area of specialisation within the broad field of Public Health.
• Demonstrate the ability to conduct a research project (mini-dissertation) and to write up the findings.
• Monitor and evaluate health systems in order to improve equity, access and quality of health care services.

Rationale

The rationale for this qualification is to strengthen health systems as well as the quality of management of both private and public sectors for Nursing Health professionals, and to promote quality service delivery. Management skills within the health care sector are scarce and those working in senior and middle management in the nursing health care sector might either be health professionals with limited training in management or managers with limited knowledge on public health issues. This qualification aims to bridge the gap that exists by preparing professionals to play leadership roles in public health research and management of the health care system.

The qualification development was supported by the Eastern Cape Department of Health; the primary goal was to develop a curriculum informed by addressing local needs. Also the qualification aims to develop researchers in the field of public health and public administration.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Candidates may provide evidence of prior learning for which they may receive credit towards or access to the qualification, in accordance with the University's RPL policy. As the qualification targets those who are already employed in the workplace, it will provide access on the basis of RPL to middle and senior managers in the employment of the Departments of Health and Social Development. Academics who assess potential learners for RPL will design, with the assistance of the Teaching and Learning Centre staff, appropriate assessment methods that will allow judgments of past learning in relation to the exit level outcomes of the particular qualifications.

Entry Requirements

• Bachelor of Nursing, Level 8.

Or

• An appropriate Honours Degree, Level 8.

Or

• An appropriate Postgraduate Diploma, Level 8.

In addition, the learner must have access to a workplace in a health or social care setting as some learning must be undertaken in the workplace.

Qualification consists of compulsory and elective modules. Learners must complete all the compulsory modules including the dissertation and then choose one elective stream and complete all the compulsory and one elective module for the stream.

Compulsory Modules at Level 9

• Issues in public health within an African context, 15 Credits.
• Research methodology, 30 Credits.
• Epidemiology, 15 Credits.
• Public health policy and Management, 15 Credits.
• Mini-dissertation, 65 Credits.

Stream/Option 1: Health Research

Compulsory Modules

• Monitoring and evaluation, 25 Credits.
• Advanced epidemiology, 25 Credits.
• Health Informatics, 25 Credits.

Elective Modules (Choose one elective)

• Biostatistics, 25 Credits.
• Health Systems, 25 Credits.

Stream/Option 2: Health systems management

Compulsory Modules

• Health systems, 25 Credits.
• Public Health Governance and Legislation, 25 Credits.
• Health Operations Management, 25 Credits.

Elective Modules (Choose one elective)

• Public Health Financing and Finance, 25 Credits.
• Public health human Resources Management, 25 Credits.

Stream/Option 3: Environmental/Occupational health

Compulsory Modules

• Health Education and Health Promotion, 25 Credits.
• Monitoring and Evaluation, 25 Credits.
• Advanced epidemiology, 25 Credits.

Elective Modules (Choose one elective)

• Environmental health, 25 Credits.
• Occupational health, 25 Credits.

1. Conduct either an intervention or a (qualitative or quantitative) research project and report the results in the form of an article of publishable standards.
2. Use strategies and techniques for monitoring and evaluation of public health projects.
3. Understand the importance of the role in managing people.
4. Assess the adequacy of programme evaluations conducted; develop a monitoring and evaluation plan; and conduct an evaluation of a limited scale public health programme.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• Develop insight into the concepts and values underlying public health and health equity and relate these concepts to tackling health inequalities within the African Context.
• Understand the fundamentals of health policy practice and analyse the policy chain from inception to implementation by commenting on and recommending amendments to the legislation.
• Implement a ten step process of lobbying and advocacy; stakeholder mobilisation: identification, profiling, engagement, and capacity building.
• Understand and apply the nature, types and uses of both quantitative and qualitative research methods in public health, descriptive and inferential biostatistics.
• Carry out a pre-test or pilot study, subject selection and sampling, data collection, data-management, data-analysis and write up the proposal and the mini dissertation.
• Write a research proposal which will form the basis of the dissertation.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

• Understand the different infectious diseases epidemiology (outbreak investigations and surveillance), epidemiological study designs and measures of frequency and association. Critically appraise epidemiological studies (including randomised controlled trials).
• Understand the scope of healthcare informatics, and the roles that informatics professionals have within healthcare organisations.
• Recognise and assess the role of information systems within health care, particularly from a management and strategic perspective.
• Have an overview on the application of public health informatics.
• Understand and apply the statistical methods employed in research papers, their rationale, interpretation and appropriateness.
• Conduct the statistical analyses of an epidemiological study.
• Use the strategies and techniques for monitoring and evaluating of projects by assessing the adequacy of program evaluations conducted.
• Develop a monitoring and evaluation plan; and conduct an evaluation of a limited scale public health programme.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

• Understand the concepts, key issues and the principles of the Public Financial Management Act (PFMA) and the related legislation by focusing on current best practice.
• Critically discuss the cooperative and participative governance principles that enable them to work optimally to deliver excellent service within the District and National Health Service.
• Discuss the importance of the roles as a 'HR Manager', and the aspects of Performance Measurement and Management, Workforce Planning, Training and Development, Coaching, Diversity Management, Recruitment, Induction and Retention, Team Building and Employee Relations to be able to affect their role in managing people.
• Understand the nature, scope, and conceptual component of operations management in the public health setting.
• Demonstrate theoretical knowledge and practical managerial and supervisory skills for the professional arena.
• Understand the real world operations management, in general, and in the Public Health sector, in particular.
• Understand the fundamentals of health care financing, sources of health care financing, National Health Accounts, benefit incidence, public private mix, budget principles of Government, Budgeting and Expenditure Reviews, annual financial statements, financial misconducts and supply chain management.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the nature, scope, and conceptual component of operations management in the public health setting.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

• Use models, theories and techniques as a framework to develop health education and health promotion programmes related to the National Health Policy on Health Promotion and health education.
• Discuss and analyse the principles and theory of environmental health.
• Apply various methods to deal with environmental problems or occupational health and challenges in South Africa as well as the issues related to policy and regulation of environmental health practice.
• Critically appraise epidemiological studies (including randomised controlled trials).
• Evaluate a surveillance system; understand the principles of surveillance, measures of frequency and association; evaluation of tests; criterion-related validity; critical appraisal of epidemiological studies and evidence-based practice.
• Understand the methods of dealing with environmental/occupational problems and challenges in South Africa as well as the issues related to policy and regulation of environmental health practice.

Integrated Assessment

Assessment varies according to the nature of the module (research or content-based) but in all cases corresponds to the problem-based learning approach, incorporating the following features:

Formative Assessment

• Portfolio of evidence (primary tool; comprising completion of cases and log books detailing investigation, documented research and implementation of ideas).
• Completion of case studies (case development and presentation; integration of research).
• Demonstrated participation in group work (in leading and contributing capacities).
• Provision of critically constructive ideas and feedback in group work.
• Application of conflict management skills in mock situations.
• Completion of assignments, projects and class activities.

Summative Assessment

• Portfolio of evidence.
• Case studies.

The research project (mini-dissertation) affords the opportunity for formative assessment during the development of the research proposal phase. Supervision offered enables the two-way flow of ideas and feedback that leads to the development of the completed mini-dissertation. This is then subject to summative assessment through submission to external examiners.