Postgraduate Diploma in Health Management

Purpose

The Postgraduate Diploma in Health Management (PGDip (Health Management)) qualification is multi and interdisciplinary in nature. The main purpose of this qualification, which is aimed at the working professional, is to strengthen and expand the learner's knowledge in the field of Healthcare Management.

The primary purpose of the PGDip (Health Management) qualification is to afford the learners with knowledge and skills necessary that allow them to perform advanced reflections on their current thinking, research, and practice in the healthcare environment at a managerial level. In so doing, it enables them to undertake advanced developments in their areas of practice in the healthcare management sector.

This qualification is geared towards learners who successfully completed the Advanced Diploma in Health Management qualification as well as a Bachelor's Degree in Health Sciences. The qualification has made provision for graduates who have similar or equivalent qualifications, especially those learners wishing to pursue further studies and research in a healthcare management-related field.

Upon completion of the qualification, qualifying learners will be able to

• Motivate employees to participate in both the design and implementation of strategic health management ventures.
• Deliberate on trends in health management in South Africa and relate those to international trends in health management.
• Identify and solve health management challenges in various healthcare contexts using existing knowledge and skills to stimulate critical and creative thinking.
• Develop sustainable health management initiatives or services to improve healthcare delivery in the country.
• Conduct basic research on health management to solicit solutions to existing challenges and to generate new ideas for implementation.
• Practice sound professional ethics in line with the Code of Practice of the different disciplines under your management.

Rationale

At a time of major changes and challenges in the South African healthcare environment and across the world brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic, it emphasised the important role of a well-managed, properly organised, and adequately equipped healthcare sector.

Leadership and sound knowledge in the respective healthcare delivery sections are essential to enhance these aspects and address the challenges specifically in the South African healthcare environment, evident in the media. This PGDip (Health Management) qualification aims to address some of the gaps and shortcomings in terms of the quality of healthcare in South Africa in the different sectors and departments where the PGDip (Health Management) graduates are employed. As such it responds to the Batho Pele principles, specifically service standards (citizens need to know the service that they can expect) and value for money (services offered should offer value for money). The qualification also offers career development opportunities for healthcare professionals within the public, private and independent sectors in South Africa.

This qualification therefore builds on previous work experience and develops reflective insights to enhance organisational outcomes. The qualification provides healthcare practitioners with an opportunity to develop their leadership and management skills, enhance their interprofessional practices, and develop multi-disciplinary, business-oriented, and person-centred perspectives.

In a 2018 report namely, Strengthening the South African health system towards an integrated and unified health system, an output of the deliberations of the first Presidential Health Summit, the President of South Africa (SA) stated in his message that he had "received numerous complaints about the poor quality of healthcare that citizens in South Africa currently experience in the clinics and hospitals during their moments of vulnerability". From this statement, it is evident that SA's healthcare system (HCS) is in dire need of educated managers in healthcare. Several challenges were raised that SA HCS is faced with and a list of interventions to address these challenges was proposed. Among these interventions was listed the dire need to introduce qualified healthcare managers within the HCS who are competent to bring about a professional approach to all healthcare delivery aspects.

As the country moves towards the NHI system and the inherent purchaser-provider model, a key challenge that has been identified is derived from the NHI's intention that provincial departments of health would delegate decision-making to hospital managers for personnel, procurement, and financial management to improve the control in managing daily operations. The caveat was that such delegations would depend on the capacity of the manager to take on such responsibilities. The view was that over time, hospital managers would have authority for all personnel issues and ultimately be responsible for human resource planning, staffing establishments, training, and labour relations. There is therefore an urgent need to focus on creating an environment within the healthcare sector that will rapidly improve the management of the respective healthcare system allowing them to meet the requirements of the NHI as there are currently limited numbers of skilled managers available to do so.

In the hope of achieving these set objectives, the Presidential Health Summit in 2018 has urged for input and effort from all stakeholders including the academic sector. The academic sector carries the responsibility to develop and deliver effective training and development programmes for healthcare staff, moreover, those staff members holding senior and middle manager positions within the HCS.

The PGDip (Health Management) qualification targets learners with a relevant healthcare qualification at NQF Level 7 as well as with relevant work experience that will be applied in practice. The PGDip (Health Management) therefore aims at developing and further enhancing the relevant skills for management positions in healthcare across all fields of healthcare, taking into consideration the resource constraints of our country and in providing excellent and equitable health services to the people of our country. This qualification generally, strives to address the several health management-related challenges referred to and is therefore structured in such a way that it provides an academic contribution towards providing an improved managerial environment in the provision of health in both primary and other health services.

The key benefit of this qualification to society is that it introduces healthcare managers into the healthcare system of SA, which will benefit society in that the graduates will have a sound understanding of the social health context from a management perspective. It also affords society with access to sound leaders who can bring about the necessary change in healthcare that will permit efficient, affordable, and quality services to all within society.

Benefits to the healthcare professions

This qualification is beneficial to the healthcare profession in that it

• Empowers learners to function optimally in all complexities of the health environment.
• Equips graduates with the knowledge of sound management principles, health and social care and policy development around healthcare.
• Allows graduates to enter their respective professional fields or the Department of Health (DOH) at advanced levels of health management training.
• Equips graduates with sound leadership skills to take South Africa's healthcare to new heights of efficiency and excellence.
• Affords the profession with knowledgeable health managers who can not only identify problems with the respective healthcare setting but also find sustainable solutions in spite of limited resources.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

The institution has an approved Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) policy applicable to equivalent qualifications for admission into the qualification. RPL will be applied to accommodate applicants who qualify. RPL thus provides alternative access and admission to qualifications, as well as advancement within qualifications.

RPL for access

• Learners who do not meet the minimum entrance requirements or the required qualification that is at the same NQF level as the qualification required for admission may be considered for admission through RPL.
• To be considered for admission in the qualification based on RPL, applicants should provide evidence in the form of a portfolio that demonstrates that they have acquired the relevant knowledge, skills, and competencies through formal, non-formal and/or informal learning to cope with the qualification expectations.

RPL for exemption of modules

• Learners may apply for RPL to be exempted from modules that form part of the qualification. For a learner to be exempted from a module, the learner needs to provide sufficient evidence in the form of a portfolio that demonstrates that competency was achieved for the learning outcomes that are equivalent to the learning outcomes of the module.

RPL for credit

• Learners may also apply for RPL for credit for or towards the qualification, in which they must provide evidence in the form of a portfolio that demonstrates prior learning through formal, non-formal and/or informal learning to obtain credits towards the qualification.
• Credit shall be appropriate to the context in which it is awarded and accepted.

Entry Requirements

• Bachelor of Nursing, NQF Level 7.

Or

• Bachelor of Nursing Science, NQF Level 7.

Or

• Bachelor of Nursing Science: Education and Administration, NQF Level 7.

Or

• Advanced Diploma in Health Management, NQF Level 7.

In addition, the learner should have a minimum of three years relevant workplace experience in healthcare to enable learners to participate in applied knowledge and reflexive exercises applicable at NQF Level 8.

This qualification consists of the following compulsory modules at National Qualifications Framework Level 8 totalling 132 Credits.

Compulsory modules, Level 8, 132 Credits.

• Healthcare Operations and Infrastructure, 12 Credits.
• Healthcare systems and Financing, 12 Credits.
• Healthcare Marketing Communications Project Planning, 12 Credits.
• Clinical Governance and Quality Enhancement in Patient-Centred Care, 12 Credits.
• Healthcare Ethics, 24 Credits.
• Healthcare Research Methodology, 24 Credits.
• Mass casualty and disease outbreak management, 12 Credits.
• Remote site and aeromedical healthcare management, 12 Credits.
• Healthcare Economics, 12 Credits.

Exit Level Outcomes

1. Demonstrate the ability to motivate employees to participate in both the design and implementation of strategic health management ventures.
2. Demonstrate an ability to deliberate on trends in health management in South Africa and relate those to international trends in health management.
3. Critically identify and solve health management challenges in various healthcare contexts using existing knowledge and skills to stimulate critical and creative thinking.
4. Apply knowledge to develop sustainable health management initiatives or services to improve healthcare delivery in the country.
5. Demonstrate an ability to conduct basic research on health management to solicit solutions to existing challenges and to generate new ideas for implementation.
6. Apply knowledge and practice sound professional ethics in line with the Code of Practice of the different disciplines under your management.

Associated Assessment Criteria

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 1

• Identify the external factors affecting the main components and services within the health management system.
• Evaluate the systemic inter-relationships between the main components and services of the health management system.
• Develop a strategic leadership plan for a specific healthcare setting in the healthcare industry.
• In the strategic plan, explain the importance of leadership in achieving participation from the workforce to achieve the set goals.
• Discuss a variety of people skills in motivating a workforce to function optimally.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 2

• Analyse the financial benefits resulting from the benchmarking with a successful international trend in healthcare management.
• Analyse the advantages and disadvantages of the implementation of a successful international trend in health management in the local healthcare industry.
• Compile an information document to guide the implementation of a successful international trend for a specific healthcare setting in the healthcare industry.
• Analyse the kinds of needs addressed by the emergence of specific trends.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 3

• Appraise challenges in healthcare management as an integrated system with various aspects stemming from a variety of factors: Human (culture, beliefs, etc.), healthcare settings (government, private), geographical location and current and future needs of the communities being served.
• Identify an entrepreneurial opportunity for a local and viable health management initiative for a specific healthcare setting in the healthcare industry.
• Compile and present a business plan according to standard conventions to enable an entrepreneurial opportunity to improve healthcare delivery.
• Compile a product development plan to initiate the development of a product that can assist healthcare managers in their management tasks.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 4

• Identify an entrepreneurial opportunity for a local and viable health management initiative for a specific healthcare setting in the healthcare industry.
• Compile and present a business plan according to standard conventions to enable an entrepreneurial opportunity to improve healthcare delivery.
• Compile a product development plan to initiate the development of a product that can assist healthcare managers in their management tasks.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 5

• Identify a problem/challenge within a specific healthcare setting and address it using a scientific research process.
• Justify the investigation of an identified problem/challenge within a specific healthcare setting against given criteria.
• Select an appropriate methodology to conduct a scientific research project.
• Develop and present a proposal for approval to research an identified topic.
• Apply the selected methodology to achieve the research aims/goals.
• Analyse the collected data using statistical methods.
• Present the findings of the research in writing (report, article) and orally (paper at a seminar, symposium, or conference) according to institutional requirements.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcome 6

• Know and understand the professional practice and ethical requirements for each discipline at the healthcare facility.