A graduate certificate in health management is a 4-subject postgraduate course for management professionals. You learn skills for managing and leading people in the delivery of health services.
A Graduate Certificate in Health Management is a popular and versatile course for management professionals looking to expand career opportunities in health and social care. The 4-subject course provides management skills and a leadership qualification.
Online courses can typically be completed over an 8-month period. You're able to do a subject every 2 months, all while working full-time if you want. You can also continue your studies for a graduate diploma (8 subjects in total) or masters (12 subjects).
Graduate Certificate in Health Management Online
You can get your Graduate Certificate in Health Management online with an Australian university. The best online courses use an accelerated block model that is free of long exams. Students progress steadily, completing one subject at a time in teaching blocks of 6-7 weeks. A graduate certificate is achievable over 8 months of low-stress, part-time study.
UTS Online Graduate Certificate in Health Services Management
The Graduate Certificate in Health Services Management from UTS Online is about delivering safe, accessible and high-value services. The course offers health management training for health and social care professionals. Students gain a strong awareness of how health and social care systems work in Australia. You also develop your ability to assess and re-design systems that deliver health services. The course is part-time and 100% online, allowing you to study without having to take time off work. Graduates have the option to extend their studies and do a Master of Health Services Management, where you can specialise in digital health, planning, leadership, or quality and safety.
Graduate Certificate in Nursing Leadership and Management
For nurses, the ideal health management course may be a Graduate Certificate in Nursing with a Leadership and Management specialisation. You get to do a 100% online course that's meant for nurses and draws on your existing knowledge in healthcare. The techniques you learn plus your postgraduate qualification create exciting career opportunities in nursing management.
JCU Graduate Certificate of Nursing (Leadership and Management)
Leadership and Management is a major available in the Graduate Certificate of Nursing from James Cook University. The 100% online, part-time course is open to experienced, division 1 registered nurses. Students build confidence and knowledge to succeed in leadership and management positions in healthcare. You do four (4) subjects: leading and managing in health, ethics and health management, effective clinical governance, and persuasive communication. Continue the program for a graduate diploma (8 units) or masters (12 units). Each student is supported by a Student Success Advisor.
What You'll Study (Course Structure)
The course structure for a Graduate Certificate in Health Management depends on the specialisation and program. You'll normally have a set of four subjects to do from a much larger master's program. Expect to do some foundation coursework on organisational management.
Here are example subject lists from two university courses.
For this subject, you build knowledge of key parts of the Australian healthcare system. Students establish a foundation for shaping the direction of health care by exploring how health systems and other services models develop and perform. Using case scenarios, you examine the structure and challenges
of the Australian system, along with differential impacts on health outcomes across demographic groups. We explore the changing relationships among healthcare providers, insurers, government and the broader community.
The subject offers a supervised experience for graduate students to learn how to use data to inform health service decisions. You explore and manipulate data that replicates patient data, generating and answering questions as you go. A managerial or clinical focus, or some combination of the two, are possible. You analyse the patient dataset to produce and interpret health statistics. Furthermore, students translate stats into health information and knowledge for decision making. You develop the ability to analyse health data and make recommendations based on your findings.
Students build knowledge of organisational theory and how to manage people and processes in a health service organisation. Health service managers need to optimise organisational performance, attract and retain talented staff, and manage change. Accomplishing these goals requires you to learn how to shape organisational dynamics using strategies related to organisational structure and culture.
The subject explores quality, risk and cost in health care. Students engage in the process of designing, organising and managing healthcare delivery systems, with the goal of creating and capturing value for the patient and community. You build skills in new thinking in healthcare delivery by considering how health care is delivered in relation to quality, risk and cost. Students critically assess the organisation of health care and delivery of outcomes from patient and population perspectives as well as in terms of organisational accountability for cost and quality.
The subject explores the development of clinical governance. Students apply principles of the framework to current issues in their own healthcare workplaces. The aim of a healthcare governance framework is to optimise client care via clear, high-quality individual and team practices. Students have the opportunity to create a plan of action for a project to improve client care within their own health organisation.
Students explore foundation concepts for leading and managing in different healthcare settings and locations. Students are required to place theories and strategies within the context of their own workplaces, with the goal of extending and enhancing leadership and management skills. Topics include staffing management; enacting change; enhancing quality; strategy and operations planning; using multi-source data to inform decisions; and practical ways to promote professional resilience in the role of a healthcare leader.
In this subject, students examine professional communication strategies across multiple mediums that healthcare professional use in the workplace. You will also learn digital communication and increase your digital literacy. Developing persuasive argument is also part of the course.
Students contemplate ethical principles and theories, exploring how managers may apply these in a healthcare setting. You also examine the role of professional codes of ethics and human rights statements when determining what constitutes ethical practice. Ethical theory is applied to everyday issues encountered by healthcare managers. The goal is to enhance the ethical standing of a manager's own practices as well as those of others in the workplace.
Learning Outcomes
Learning outcomes depend on individual course structures. However, results you could expect from most grad certs in health management include being able to:
- explain the structure and key elements of the Australian healthcare system
- understand your own leadership styles and how they shape team performance
- define and communicate organisational issues to target audiences using multiple methods
- propose improvements to safety, service quality and cost-effectiveness for an organisation
- identify key issues affecting health planning, including enabling factors and impediments.
Career Opportunities
The career opportunities from a Graduate Certificate in Health Management are innumerable. Just look at the organisational structure for your most recent healthcare employer for examples. Prospective job titles include nurse manager, clinical services manager, senior health officer, allied health manager, practice leader, and service centre director.
Health managers are in demand across the healthcare sector, including in health service facilities and the public service. According to the NSC, the number of Australian jobs for Health and Welfare Services Managers is projected to surge by 26.5% over 5 years to 45,000 by the end of 2026.
Completing the course will provide you with a postgraduate qualification in management. That gives you credentials for senior roles while also imparting relevant skills and demonstrating a commitment to being a leader. You'll also have the opportunity to continue studying for a master's degree.
Entry Requirements
The entry requirements for a Graduate Certificate in Health Management reflect that this a postgraduate course intended for aspiring managers from different professional backgrounds.
A bachelor degree in any discipline may be sufficient to be admitted into some courses. Without a degree, an alternative admissions requirement may be significant professional experience in healthcare or human services.
Here are examples of course admission requirements. Enquire for further details.
For the Graduate Certificate in Health Services Management, applicants must have a bachelor’s degree or an equivalent or higher qualification OR evidence of general and professional qualifications demonstrating potential for successful postgraduate study.
Applicants without a degree may also be considered on the basis of demonstrated extensive relevant work experience in healthcare or human services.
More informationTo be eligible to enrol in the online Graduate Certificate of Nursing, applicants must hold an AQF Level 7 Bachelor of Nursing or equivalent qualification AND be a Registered Nurse (Division 1) or Registered Midwife AND have 1+ years of clinical experience as a registered nurse.
Applicants of non-English speaking backgrounds must also meet English language proficiency requirements.
More informationHealthcare Management Certification
A Graduate Certificate in Health Management provides a form of healthcare management certification. To work as a health manager, you don't need to complete any particular course nor gain approval from a regulatory body. But, to strongly compete for jobs, a postgraduate qualification such as a grad cert in health services management could be crucial.
Note that you can apply for health manager certification with the Australasian College of Health Service Management (ACHSM). But the value of ACHSM certification may be limited by low industry awareness and the difficulty of distinguishing health managers from other administrators.
