Healthcare Quality Improvement & Patient Safety Postbaccalaureate Certificate
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The online postbaccalaureate certificate in healthcare quality improvement & patient safety provides the knowledge and skills required for health care professionals to meet quality-related goals and increase patient and staff satisfaction.
In one year, graduates are prepared for quality and patient safety leadership, management and research positions within health care organizations or policy agencies and learn to:
- Develop, execute and evaluate quality and patient safety improvement initiatives
- Create strategies to lead organizational change toward a quality-focused culture
- Translate national quality expectations into daily operations
- Design and implement information technology systems to support quality assurance
- Understand and apply research to drive clinical and operational decision-making
Learning Outcomes
Students learn to work on interdisciplinary health care teams using the tools of statistical process control and methods from operations research to:
- Motivate change and drive real-world improvement in health care
- Develop a workable quality improvement and evaluation plan
- Describe the role of various systems and factors in creating safety and in causing errors and adverse events
- Implement quality improvement initiatives to optimize the efficiency and effectiveness of care and services
- Ensure excellence in health care across diverse settings by generating data-driven solutions for operational challenges
- Apply quantitative and qualitative analytic skills in health care quality measurement, improvement and research activities
Career Outlook
Students who receive their quality improvement & patient safety certificate can pursue careers in areas such as:
- Health Care Administration
- Nursing Home Leadership
- Home Health Care Leadership
- Federally Qualified Health Center Leadership
- Clinic Leadership
- Public Health
Sacred Heart University is committed to developing leaders in the health care industry, and we are excited to offer our new healthcare quality improvement & patient safety certificate. Graduates of the program will be equipped to enhance patient experiences and outcomes while reducing the cost of care.
Degree Requirements
Our online program offers 8-week module periods which allow students to complete their certification in less than one year. A total of 12 credits are required for certification within the following courses (3 credits each).
This course will introduce students to foundational concepts in healthcare quality improvement, and provide tools for translating these principles into practice. Topics include: the history of QI, healthcare performance and process improvement, current health care quality reporting programs as well as value-based purchasing program models, setting SMART goals, root-cause analysis, metrics and measures, PDSA cycles, process controls, systems, and sustainability.
Process control techniques applied to clinical and patient service processes, including Lean and Six Sigma methodologies; Topics include: Life Cycle of a Quality Improvement Project, QI Tools, Six Sigma, Lean, PDSA Cycles and Run Charts, Human Factors Engineering & High-Reliability Organizations, TeamSTEPPS
Prerequisite: Take QI-501
Application of analytical and decision tools to determine appropriate enterprise models for quality improvement, including problem identification, selection of metrics, analytical approaches, prioritization criteria, and post-implementation evaluation Topics include: Health Data Integration, Research Methods, Advanced Tools & Methods in Clinical Settings
Prerequisite: Take QI-550
Applying quantitative techniques to clinical and administrative data to inform and improve healthcare quality and patient safety outcomes. Analysis of quantitative information is important to any healthcare problem, and especially so for Six Sigma projects. This course provides knowledge and the tools to dissect complicated business problems and provide quantitative analysis to problems instead of relying on intuition and instincts.
Prerequisite: Take QI-601
Admission Information
The following application materials are required:
- Completed online application
- Official transcripts from all previously attended institutions
- Résumé
Tuition
$608 per credit (reflects a 10% tuition discount for employees)
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More Information
Tara Chudy
Executive Director of Graduate Admissions
203-365-4735
chudyt@sacredheart.edu