Joel Schlesinger © Postmedia Network Inc.
Health-care professionals looking to further their careers as health-care leaders can look to a new master’s program from the University of Lethbridge.
The university’s Health Services Management master’s program offered through the uLeth Calgary Campus is a joint initiative of the Dhillon School of Business and the Faculty of Health Sciences.
“It’s developed for someone with experience in health care looking to take on a management role,” says Claudia Steinke, associate professor in health sciences at the university.
A full graduate degree program, “it’s designed to bring many perspectives together so students get diverse views to drive better solutions to today’s big challenges in health care.”
A shorter version is offered as a certificate, which is ideal for learners seeking micro-credentials to quickly improve career prospects, Steinke adds.
The new program is in high demand, says YJ Bao, professor at the Dhillon School of Business.
“Applicants with very diverse and rich backgrounds are applying,” says Bao, a renowned expert in organization design.
Sabahat Nazim, a medical doctor from Pakistan who arrived in Canada two years ago, is among the first students in the master’s program.
“Most of my experience previously had been on the clinical side, and I had little knowledge of operations behind the scenes,” says Nazim, who works as a physician assistant at a medical clinic.
The program’s focus on innovation, program design and leadership makes it especially appealing.
“Canadian health care is emphasizing innovation more and more, and so there is this huge need for leaders to promote better technologies, procedures and organizational frameworks,” Nazim says.
The Health Services Management program provides that foundation for students to become new leaders, Bao adds.
“We have top experts from the public, private and not-for-profit sectors delivering learning experiences very different from other health management programs,” he says.
Students meet in-person with instructors (COVID restrictions permitting) for about 10 hours of classroom learning each month, Steinke says.
“But they largely study at their own pace, allowing for work-life balance,” she explains. “In a nutshell, that sums up the Health Services Management program — it’s a learner-centred approach to help students achieve their career goals.”
This story was created by Content Works, Postmedia’s commercial content division, on behalf of Calgary Economic Development.