Health services management courses teach you how to improve efficiency, quality and safety in the delivery of healthcare services. 100% online courses are available for health and social care professionals.
A health services management course is about learning to manage healthcare processes for the benefit of clients. Health services management is a similar field to health administration but with a greater emphasis on service delivery.
Health service management courses are for healthcare workers such as nurses, therapists and social workers. By doing a postgraduate course, such as a Master of Health Services Management, you gain skills and qualifications to elevate your job responsibilities.
Graduate Certificate in Health Services Management
A Graduate Certificate in Health Services Management is a relatively short course consisting of four subjects. You may want to do the online course to upgrade your health management qualifications or to test out an online masters program.
UTS Online Graduate Certificate in Health Services Management
The UTS Online Graduate Certificate in Health Services Management is for health and social care professionals who want to drive change to create safer, higher value and more equitable services and systems. Delivered part-time and 100% online, this course gives students a deep understanding of the complexities of the Australian health and social care systems and the skills to plan, evaluate and improve health systems and services. At the successful completion of your studies, you’ll have the opportunity to enrol into the Master of Health Services Management, where you’ll gain specialist knowledge in quality and safety, digital health, leadership or planning.
Master of Health Services Management
A Master of Health Services Management provides extended training in how to be an excellent service manager in a health or social care setting. You can earn your masters degree with a 100% online course from an Australian university. Graduates acquire both general and specialised skills for taking on senior health management roles.
UTS Online Master of Health Services Management
UTS Online’s Master of Health Services Management course prepares leaders in health and social care who want to drive change and create safer, higher value and more equitable health systems and services. With a focus on quality and safety, you’ll learn about planning and evaluating health services to innovate and improve systems. You’ll also learn about the importance of utilising and understanding data to improve, implement and drive quality and safety. Customise your studies to align to your career ambitions by choosing to major in quality and safety or sub-major in digital health, leadership or planning. Designed with healthcare professionals in mind, this course is delivered part-time and 100% online, enabling you to continue working full-time while gaining immediately applicable skills.
MBA in Health Services Management
An MBA with a major in Health Services Management is an alternative course to a masters in health services management. An advantage of an MBA program is that you receive a universally recognised and respected management qualification, one which carries weight in every industry. At the same time, your MBA specialisation demonstrates expertise within the healthcare realm.
SCU Online MBA (Health Services Management)
You can specialise in Health Services Management as part of the Master of Business Administration program at Southern Cross University. Subjects include: Leading Change in Healthcare, Healthcare Professional Portfolio A, Strategic Health Management, and Principles and Practice of Clinical Accountability. The MBA is the world's best known and most popular management degree. SCU's 12-subject program is affordable and flexible. You can study year-round, with each subject completed part-time over a 7-week teaching period.
What You'll Study (Course Structure)
What you study in a health services management course depends on the program and specialisation. Expect to explore general management and administration topics, especially in an MBA program. For a Master's in Health Service Management, you may do subjects on health service planning, achieving quality and safety in health services, and innovation in health services.
Here are course structures for 3 university qualifications.
The UTS Graduate Certificate in Health Services Management is comprised of four core subjects:
- Foundations of the Australian Healthcare System
- Using Health Care Data for Decision Making
- Organisational Management in Health Care
- Managing Quality, Risk and Cost in Health Care
The UTS Master of Health Services Management consists of 6 core subjects and 6 electives, with a major available in Quality and Safety and sub-majors available in Digital Health, Leadership, and Planning.
Core subjects
- Foundations of the Australian Healthcare System
- Using Health Care Data for Decision Making
- Organisational Management in Health Care
- Managing Quality, Risk and Cost in Health Care
- Policy, Power and Politics in Health Care
- Fundamentals of Epidemiology
Quality and Safety major
- Planning and Evaluating Health Services
- Improving Safety and Quality in Healthcare
- Systems and Service Innovation
- Quality and Safety Improvement Methods
Digital Health sub-major
- Contemporary Approaches to Digital Health
- Fundamentals of Health Information Management
Leadership sub-major
- Health Systems and Change
- Leading Health and Social Care
Planning sub-major
- Health Systems and Change
- Planning and Evaluating Health Services
The Master of Business Administration from Southern Cross University consists of 8 to 16 units depending on your level of advanced standing.
For the Health Services Management MBA specialisation, you select two from these four subjects:
- Healthcare Professional Portfolio A
- Leading Change in Healthcare
- Principles and Practice of Clinical Accountability
- Strategic Health Management
Learning Outcomes
Any health services management course should make you a better all-round manager. Plus, you'll gain greater insight into effectively managing the delivery of health services. Here are learning outcomes you can expect, especially from longer programs.
Leadership and management skills
Strong awareness of principles and strategies for effectively supervising individual staff, leading teams, and directing services.
Healthcare service organisation skills
Research, planning and evaluation skills, especially in relation to the safe and equitable delivery of health and social care services.
Management and use of digital health information
Ability to manage healthcare data processes to ensure health information can be used to meet clinical, strategic and operational requirements.
Career Opportunities
With ever-increasing demand for health services in Australia, career opportunities for managers in this sector are bountiful. Jobs for Health and Welfare Services Managers are projected to expand by 26.5% to 45,000 positions over the 5 years to 2027.
Some of the roles you would be more qualified to do after completing a health services management course include nurse unit manager, clients services manager, clinical operations manager, healthcare consultant, and practice director.
What exactly is a Health Service Manager?
The Australian Government defines a Health and Welfare Services Manager as someone who plans, organises, directs, controls and coordinates the "professional and administrative aspects of health and welfare programs and services".
Essentially, a health service manager is responsible for health and welfare services without necessarily delivering the services in person. According to health care consultant Jennifer Hinkel, "Health services managers are often looking at questions around efficiency, safety and improving the patient experience and satisfaction."
Entry Requirements
Health services management is a broad discipline that's open to people from different professional backgrounds. While entry requirements vary, you're generally able to access a program with a bachelor degree or comparable professional experience.
Here are examples of course admission requirements. Enquire for further details.
For entry into the Graduate Certificate in Health Services Management, you require a bachelor’s degree or an equivalent or higher qualification OR evidence of general and professional qualifications demonstrating ability to complete postgraduate education.
Those without a degree may be considered based on demonstrated relevant work experience in healthcare or human services.
More informationFor entry into the Master of Health Services Management, you require a bachelor’s degree or an equivalent or higher qualification OR evidence of general and professional qualifications demonstrating ability to do postgraduate education.
For those relying on academic qualification, the bachelor’s degree should be in a related field in the disciplines of health or human services.
Students not meeting entry requirements for the masters may, if they are admitted to the corresponding graduate certificate course, use successful completion of that as an alternative admissions pathway.
More informationEntry into the Master of Business Administration requires a 3-year bachelor degree OR equivalent professional experience.
All students need to be proficient in English.
More information