PG Cert Leadership for Healthcare Improvement

Start date: September or January

Course length: part time: one year.

Campus: Kedleston Road site, Derby Campus

Faculty: Education, Health and Science

School: School of Health and Social Care

This course is available to international students

You'll need to be working within a healthcare environment before you start this course.

During this course you'll develop your specialist knowledge and become a self directed learner, who is able to meet both your own personal and professional needs and those of the service you work in.

This course will also prepare you for working at an advanced practice level by developing your critical thinking, decision making and autonomous practice skills. You'll study alongside other students who are practitioners in different fields which means you'll be able to put this into practice in the context of interprofessional working.

When you've finished this course you'll be able to work confidently as an improvement practitioner, capable of planning and implementing service improvements in your field of practice.

What you’ll study
You’ll study these modules:

Principles of Service Improvement in the Workplace (20 credits)
You’ll gain an insight into the dilemmas and conflicts associated with introducing improvement plans and you’ll think strategically about the planning of service improvement activities. This module is delivered face to face and by distance learning.

Engaging with Service Improvement (40 credits)
You’ll use your service improvement knowledge to take forward an improvement cycle in your workplace, from the planning stage through to a series of improvement activities and the final outcomes. This will highlight the complexity of implementing change within the fast paced healthcare environment and will allow you to reflect on your experiences for future service improvements. You’ll study this double module online and be assessed through 100% coursework.

How you'll learn

This course is flexible, with some modules available online, so you can study at a time and place to suit you.  There is also the possibility of face to face tutorials.

How you're assessed

Assessment is by coursework and the development on an online portfolio.

We've developed this course to reflect the philosophies of the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement and various charitable and service user representatives, so you'll be brought up to date with current standards.

You may wish to complete the full masters and move on to doctoral level study when you've finished this course. However many students go on to develop, specialise in and lead the implementation of healthcare improvement services. This course is diverse so you could use the skills and knowledge you've gained to work in other areas of the public and private sectors.

"This course supports leaders with the tools, academic evidence base and network of support to make a real difference to the way in which services are provided for patients." Lisa Green, current student.

"The course has proved to be worthwhile in that it has a direct influence on patient care across primary, secondary and social care... It has been worth persevering with."