As the world slowly emerges from a pandemic that exposed the vulnerability of healthcare systems when overwhelmed with multifaceted management challenges, McGill has launched a new Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Management (GCHM). A collaborative initiative between McGill’s Desautels Faculty of Management and Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, the GCHM program is designed to train physicians and other healthcare professionals in the skills needed to make effective decisions and succeed in leadership roles.
“From team management to finance and negotiation, we are helping healthcare workers develop the expertise to address organizational challenges and lead change through practical course content,” said Leslie Breitner, co-director of the GCHM and academic director at the Desautels Faculty of Management. “Students will gain new perspectives and the transferable skills needed to take the helm of a hospital-based division or private practice with confidence.”
Offered entirely online using a flexible, part-time delivery format, healthcare workers will be able to participate in the GCHM without pausing their careers. The curriculum, taught by a team of seasoned McGill professors and healthcare leaders, is designed to address the key competencies of the Leader Role outlined in the CANMEDS educational framework of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
“Healthcare organizations run into the same issues as typical businesses,” said Dr. Adrian Dancea, co-director of the GCHM and division chief of pediatric cardiology at the Montreal Children’s Hospital. “While hospitals grappled with scarce resources and supply chain issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, it reinforced the importance to equip healthcare workers with the management competencies needed to better cope with future predicaments.”
The 15-credit program is delivered across four intensive six-day modules over a nine-month period. To supplement the modules, group assignments, workshops, mentorship and a capstone project will reinforce classroom learning with real world experience.
Applications are now open to be part of the first cohort of the Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Management starting January 2022. To attend an upcoming information session, register online.