Managing Health Care Organisations MED5040

  • Academic Session: 2024-25
  • School: School of Health and Wellbeing
  • Credits: 20
  • Level: Level 5 (SCQF level 11)
  • Typically Offered: Semester 2
  • Available to Visiting Students: No
  • Collaborative Online International Learning: No

Short Description

This course examines 'what' needs managed in healthcare services, 'who' should manage these issues, and 'how' they might be best managed with limited resources available. It draws upon contemporary research on managerial practice as well as models of Strategic Management that are applicable to healthcare contexts in terms of strategic purpose, planning, environmental analysis, managing resources, stakeholder management, evidence-based decision making, management ethics, and organisational learning. It presents healthcare organisations as 'pluralistic organisations', in addition to how external and internal influences both shape and constrain what might be achieved by healthcare organisations. 

Timetable

Weekly sessions comprised of lectures and seminars.

Requirements of Entry

None

Assessment

Assessment 1 - Essay [2000 words; 50%; ILO 1-3]

Assessment 2 - Group Presentation [15-minutes; 50%; ILO 2, 4, 5]

Course Aims

This course provides a theoretical foundation to the fields of 'Strategy' and 'Management' and how these apply to Public Health and broader healthcare organizations. It aims to encourage professional reflection for those qualified students who may be considering, or aspiring to, a managerial role in the healthcare field but also supports those who conclude that they are not motivated by, or suited to, a managerial role or career in healthcare. 

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Critically analyse schools of thought from the fields of 'Strategy' & 'Management' that have applicability to healthcare services.

2. Critically assess how 'evidence' plays a role in managerial decision-making within healthcare organisations.

3. Determine and evaluate how the political and stakeholder process of allocating resources plays a role in aiding patients and their families.

4. Evaluate how organisational learning may change care for patients and their families.

5. Critically appraise the influence and impact of AI on the current and future management of healthcare services.

Minimum Requirement for Award of Credits

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.