Healthcare worker in scrubs

Healthcare Management

MSc
Healthcare management

Course details

Designed for healthcare professionals and administrators at all career stages who strive to become skilled and competent managers and leaders in any healthcare, social care or clinical setting, this programme will support learners to accelerate their career progression.

The MSc in Healthcare Management comprises six taught modules and an action research project – students will gain detailed insights into healthcare topics such as leadership and change management, teamwork and performance management, quality and risk management, strategic management, project management and process mapping as well as financial and accounting within healthcare organisations.

On completion of the programme, you will be ideally placed to ensure the delivery and configuration of high-quality healthcare services in order to lead and manage change, respond to challenges and accelerate impact within your organisation.

Mode of delivery

This course is delivered in a digital format via our online teaching platform, making it accessible to busy healthcare professionals wherever they may be working.

Alumni success stories

Hear from RCSI Alumni, We'am Maher, about her Healthcare Management story and how she’s thriving in her Operations role at one of the largest private healthcare providers in the United Arab Emirates.

We’am Maher – Healthcare Management Alumnae

Curriculum

This programme will provide you with the skills and knowledge to:

  • Understand the complexity and determinants of health and healthcare systems.
  • Understand management, the role of the manager in healthcare and understanding how organisations work.
  • Manage resources – effectively managing people, finance and organisations.
  • Manage across boundaries – evaluating how services can best be configured and delivered.
  • Team work effectively and manage multi-disciplinary teams.
  • Develop leadership, personal and professional learning and development skills.

Module 1: Managing Organisations and People
(10 ECTS)

This module introduces you to organisational structure and culture, teamwork, conflict, power and influence, and change management. You will also learn how to use analytical management tools. The module is supported by the development of your individual electronic portfolio.

Module 2: Operations Management and Quality
(10 ECTS)

In this module you will examine the patient journey using process mapping, identifying areas for improvement and discussing the concept of lean management. Project management tools are introduced and applied as part of the learning.

Module 3: Leadership and Strategic Management 
(10 ECTS)

Different approaches to leadership and your preferred leadership style are explored here. You learn how to design and implement strategy using a wide variety of tools to understand the external environment and assess the internal strengths and weaknesses of your organisation.

Module 4: Managing
Finance in Healthcare Organisations 
(10 ECTS)

This module introduces you to financial and management accounting. Topics covered include: preparation and interpretation of financial accounts, working capital, cash flow forecasting, budgeting and costs and costing.

Module 5: Quality and Risk Management 
(10 ECTS)

Quality maintenance and improvement is necessary in healthcare given the imperative of maximising patient safety. In this module, you will explore the concepts of quality, safety and risk and examine current best-practice in a variety of healthcare contexts.

Module 6: Evaluation, Measurement and Research (10 ECTS

Modern health services require a complex range of information to support evidence-based practice. In this module, you will learn how to collect, analyse, interpret and present valid data as a foundation for evidence based practice.

HCM Capstone Planned Project (30 ECTS)

A capstone dissertation brings together your learnings from the six modules and encourages you to reflect and think critically on a specific project. In line with the international best practice of increasing the diversity of assessment methods and student choice in assessment, the Graduate School of Healthcare Management offers you two options to fulfil the Year 2 requirements. Use your learning from Year 1, in conjunction with Year 2 seminars you will choose

One option to undertake in year two:

  • Option A Co-design: Develop a co-designed quality improvement intervention for implementation into practice. You will identify a participatory co-design process that will bring together service users, clinical and non-clinical staff and, relevant support and advocacy groups to work together to improve or refine elements of the health and social care system, services or processes.
  • Option B Change: Develop a change roadmap for implementation into practice. You will identify a project within a real-life health or social care context and articulate the strategic areas of change required to be ready for implementation.

Year 2 of the programme is an exciting and beneficial opportunity for students dedicated to understanding and leading context specific healthcare change.


Assessments

Your learning on each module is assessed by one of a number of methods: examination, individual assignment or team assignment and case studies.

We are proud to be a recognised University of the National University of Ireland (NUI). All RCSI programmes are accredited by the NUI.

Recognition by Ministries and bodies in all jurisdictions must be determined by the individual applicants.

We are pleased to confirm that a number of our recent graduates, that are domiciled in the United Arab Emirates and in the Kingdom of Bahrain, have successfully had their certificates recognised by the Ministry of Education in their respective countries.

Learn more

Our team would be delighted to answer any questions that you may have regarding this programme. Please contact our teams for more information.

Contact us in Dublin or Dubai