Postgraduate Diploma in Health Services Management

Purpose

The Postgraduate Diploma in Health Services Management will serve to strengthen and deepen the learner's knowledge in nursing in the Health Services Management field. The primary purpose of the qualification is to enable working professional nurses to undertake advanced reflection and development by means of a systematic survey of current thinking, practice, and research methods in Health Services Management. With this qualification, nurses will be able to register as Health Services Management Specialists with the SANC.

The qualification will further serve to develop and empower professional nurses with knowledge and expertise in health service management. The qualification aims to produce learners who will be equipped with managerial skills to be utilised in rendering quality health care through the application of various skills needed by the 21st-century graduate. These learners will be able to function as part of a team or independently within the public and private health sectors as leaders, consultants, educators, and specialist practitioners in providing evidence-based care. The qualification further aims to provide innovative and distinguished graduates with a developed sense of equity, justice, and service ethics, that work to make a meaningful and sustained contribution to specialised health services in South Africa.

Upon completion of this qualification, a qualifying learner will be able to

• Practice and facilitate specialist nursing or midwifery, nursing education or health services management within the ethical-legal parameters of the profession.
• Apply the knowledge of and facilitate evidence-based practice, nursing education or management in the specialist field to solve contextual problems and develop policies and guidelines.
• Appraise and develop self, peers and nurse, midwife specialist learners by facilitating self-directedness leadership and lifelong learning to maintain competence.
• Facilitate advocacy for the profession and provision of specialist professional support for personnel, patients, clients, families, and communities.
• Engage in planning, commissioning, and managing a specialist unit, an educational entity, or a health service.
• Engage in scholarly activities to inform evidence-based practice, education, or management.
• Utilise, manage and communicate data to support decision-making and research.

Rationale

The qualification aims to produce learners with advanced competencies and skills developed through critical thinking, clinical practice, and research in specialised areas of nursing practice, who can function as part of a team or independently as leaders, consultants, educators, and specialist practitioners in providing evidence-based care. Health Services Managers are central in terms of ensuring that the objectives of the healthcare organisations are met. According to Muller et al. (2013:3), successful management of healthcare organisations depends on the competence of individual and team/corporate managers. The need for competent managers in the healthcare sector is further emphasised by the South African Nursing Council (SANC) through the publication of competencies that are needed for healthcare nurse managers before being registered with the council for additional qualifications. These competencies include accountability and responsibility in professional, ethical, and legal practice, health promotion and prevention of disease, injury and complications, effective communication and development of therapeutic relationships, quality improvement, continuous professional development, and research. This qualification is intended to empower learners with these competencies.

This qualification has been developed to comply with the HEQSF new competency framework, competencies and exit level outcomes published by the SANC, and to fit into the profile of the National Health Insurance plan. Regulation 635 of the Nursing Act, 2005 (Act No 33 of 2005) relating to the approval of and the minimum requirements for the education and training of a learner leading to registration as a nurse specialist or midwife specialist, 2020, printed in the government gazette on 5 June 2020, includes the Postgraduate Diploma (Health Service Management).

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

The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is

• Advanced Diploma in Health Management, NQF Level 7

Or

• Bachelor of Health Sciences, NQF Level 7

Or

• Bachelor of Public Health, NQF Level 7

And

• Registered professional nurse with the professional regulatory body the South African Nursing Council (SANC).
• Have at least two (2) years of experience after registration as a Professional Nurse or General Nurse and Midwife. The two years include a year of community service.

This qualification consists of the following compulsory modules at National Qualifications Framework Level 8 totalling 120 Credits.

Compulsory Modules

• Applied professional practice and development, 10 Credits.
• Applied evidence-based practice and knowledge translation, 12 Credits.
• Applied quality practice management, 8 Credits.
• Health Services Management 1, 30 Credits.
• Health Services Management 2, 24 Credits.
• Health Services Management Practice, 36 Credits.

Exit Level Outcomes

1. Practice and facilitate specialist nursing or midwifery, nursing education or health services management within the ethical-legal parameters of the profession.
2. Apply the knowledge of and facilitate evidence-based practice, nursing education or management in the specialist field to solve contextual problems and develop policies and guidelines.
3. Appraise and develop self, peers nurse, and midwife specialist learners by facilitating self-directedness leadership and lifelong learning to maintain competence.
4. Facilitate advocacy for the profession and provision of specialist professional support for personnel, patients, clients, families, and communities.
5. Engage in planning, commissioning, and managing a specialist unit, an educational entity, or a health service.
6. Engage in scholarly activities to inform evidence-based practice, education, or management
7. Utilise, manage and communicate data to support decision-making and research.
8. Participate in the development and implementation of the strategic and operational plans including key institutional policies.
9. Manage resources for the effectiveness and efficiency of a healthcare facility or unit.
10. Engage in the organisation and coordination of the nursing and midwifery activities, functions, and responsibilities to align them to the strategic goals.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 1.

• Direct personal attributes and behaviour to conformity to the relevant code of ethics in the practice of specialist nursing or midwifery, nursing education and health services management.
• Critically make decisions and moral reasoning models and principles to make clinical judgements and resolve ethical dilemmas within the specialist practice.
• Account for own professional judgement, actions, outcomes of specialist care, nursing education or health services management and continued competence.
• Identify and apply relevant current legislation, policies, regulations, and guidelines pertaining to specialist practice nursing education or Health Services Management.
• Accurately document care activities, comprehensively and timeously considering the legal requirements for record-keeping.
• Illustrate knowledge of the nurse specialist or midwife specialist's role in the management of professional misconduct and risks taking into consideration the institutional protocols, and ethical-legal framework.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 2.

• Engage in specialist practice, with an understanding of the process of evidence-based practice.
• Apply evidence-based specialist practice, nursing education and health services management taking into consideration the appropriate methodology of gathering evidence for practice, education and management.
• Apply evidence-based practice, nursing education and health service management knowledge and make critical analysis of the various levels of evidence.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 3.

• Illustrate leadership skills through the application of appropriate leadership styles, principles, and theories of health services management.
• Effectively facilitate Continuous Professional Development (CPD) for self and others for lifelong learning by creating a positive learning climate in the workplace through the processes of mentorship, preceptorship, supervision, performance appraisal, etc.
• Engage in performance appraisal using an understanding of the purpose and processes of the performance management and development system.
• Illustrate an understanding of the various risk factors that impact health and wellness within the workplace and apply strategies to care for self, peers, employees, and learners.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 4.

• Illustrate an understanding of the purpose of the advocacy role for a nurse specialist or midwife specialist practice.
• Apply advocacy principles to ensure safe and quality care in various healthcare settings or nursing education or health services management.
• Apply appropriate communication skills and channels in facilitating advocacy.
• Lobby and participate in interest groups to influence legislation and policy affecting the role performance.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 5.

• Illustrate an understanding of levels and classification of the respective specialist units, health services or educational entities.
• Commission task taking into consideration the burden of diseases and priority services as determined by current events.
• Participate in the evaluation of the existing specialist unit, health, or education entity applying knowledge of guidelines for provisioning a specialist unit, health service or an educational entity.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 6.

• Practice in the respective specialisations applying knowledge of appropriate search engines and databases for review of the literature to inform evidence-based practice, nursing education and health services management.
• Apply appropriate methods to generate evidence for utilisation in specialist practice (e.g. research, systematic reviews etc.) education and health services management.
• Apply knowledge of and show awareness of the peer-reviewed journals and use them for sharing of evidence.
• Apply knowledge and engage in activities in specialist practice, education, and health services management that are based on scientifically proven evidence.
• Actively participates in inter and intra-professional dialogues, debates or discourses in quality improvement.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 7.

• Document all data and information gathered in the context of the specialist practice, education and health services for utilisation and storage in accordance with the set standards.
• Utilise comprehensive data, information, and emerging evidence pertinent to the respective specialist practice.
• Identify problems, diagnoses and opportunities for improvement and base them on gathered and critically analysed assessment data from the patients, clients, families, communities, learners, or employees including current scientific evidence.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 8.

• Participate in strategy development and review the purpose, steps, components and determinants of the strategic plan, for example, the dynamic physical, socio-political, cultural, economic, technological and relevant legislation and regulatory environments including stakeholder requirements.
• Apply principles and theories of health services management and leadership in the execution of the strategic and operational plan.
• Direct and coordinate the nursing activities towards the achievement of relevant strategic and operational goals.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 9.

• Mobilise relevant material resources optimally for the effectiveness and efficiency of a healthcare facility or unit.

> Employ asset management principles to ensure the elimination of waste and cost containment.

• Participate in the recruitment of employees that are fit for purpose through effective talent management.
• Apply effective talent management and fair development and succession planning including promotion opportunities to retain human resources.

Associated Assessment Criteria for Exit Level Outcomes 10.

• Apply knowledge of the characteristics of a positive practice environment and organisational culture for health professionals to ensure a conducive setting for the achievement of the goals of the healthcare facility.
• Delegate authority using knowledge and application of principles and processes of delegation.
• Direct, coordinated and aligned strategic activities, functions and responsibilities to attain nursing practice goals.