PUN230 Health Management Principles and Practice


To view more information for this unit, select Unit Outline from the list below. Please note the teaching period for which the Unit Outline is relevant.


Unit Outline: Semester 1 2024, Kelvin Grove, Internal

Unit code:PUN230
Credit points:12
Coordinator:Nicolie Jenkins | n2.jenkins@qut.edu.au
Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of the teaching period.

Overview

Health Managers require appropriate knowledge, competencies and attitudes to confront the challenges facing the health of modern communities. Acquisition of management competencies can best occur through reflective practice and the application of the theoretical principles that underlie organisational behaviour and the systems, structures and processes that characterise modern healthcare. This unit forms the knowledge and competency basis for contemporary Health Managers and lays the foundation for more advanced management units in the Master of Health Management and Leadership. 

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

  1. Explain Health Management professional competencies and how they can be applied in practice to address real-world healthcare scenarios.
  2. Critically analyse research on organisational structure and strategy.
  3. Apply reflective practice to identify opportunities for enhanced professional practice.
  4. Critically analyse diverse social, cultural and organisational practices and required skills applicable in change management.

Content

This unit will cover the following:

  • The unique nature of Health Management
  • Health Management professional competencies, including ways to work effectively with diverse stakeholders
  • Organisational structure, design and strategy
  • Organisational governance arrangements
  • Change management
  • Reflective practice
  • Identifying and critiquing forms of Health Management evidence

Learning Approaches

In this unit, you will learn by engaging in the following:

  • lectures
  • guest speaker presentations
  • tutorials
  • online readings and learning materials
  • self-paced and blended learning

This first year unit involves weekly independent reading of a range of sources from academia and industry. You are expected to attend the weekly lectures and interactive tutorials. The tutorials will involve significant group work and be delivered in collaboration with the Student Success Group to develop your capabilities in foundational academic and professional skills, such as: writing and referencing; the use of common digital technologies; interpersonal communication; public speaking; and effective teamwork. 

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

There will be opportunities for guided self reflection, as well as feedback from peers and academic staff each week during the lectures and tutorials. Assessment will be spaced throughout the semester to provide the opportunity for feedback on your learning at key points. You will be provided with individual and generic written feedback on each assessment item, based on specific marking criteria as you progress through the unit.

Assessment

Overview

There are three assessments in this unit.

1. In-class Exam - This will consolidate foundational concepts about the health management profession.

2. Annotated Bibliography - This will cover learnings about the way contemporary healthcare organisations are structured and guided by strategic plans.

3. Analysis of a Change Management Scenario - This will require critical analysis and advanced application of knowledge and skills to address a real-world health management scenario.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: In-class Exam

You will complete an exam with a variety of question types including multiple-choice. The exam will be on Health Management professional competencies and principles covered in weeks 1-3.

Weight: 20
Length: 45 minutes
Individual/Group: Individual
Due (indicative): Week 4
Related Unit learning outcomes: 1

Assessment: Annotated Bibliography: Organisational Structure and Strategy

You will develop an annotated bibliography using four scholarly research articles. Two of the articles will be about organisational structure and two will be about organisational strategy. You will need to find articles that take opposing positions on organisational structure and articles that take opposing positions on organisational strategy. Discuss and evaluate the perspectives taken in each of the articles.

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

Weight: 40
Length: 2000 words
Individual/Group: Individual
Due (indicative): Week 8
Related Unit learning outcomes: 2

Assessment: Analysis of a Change Management Scenario

A contemporary, real-world scenario will be provided, which involves a healthcare organisation that undertook a significant change management process. Analyse the manager's approach to identify the change management framework that was implemented, and what worked well and what challenges were encountered. Also, analyse the manager's professional competencies with reference to evidence and the ACHSM competencies framework. Conclude by identifying and discussing competencies that you might need to develop to be a successful manager of change.

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

Weight: 40
Length: 2000 words
Individual/Group: Individual
Due (indicative): Week 12
Related Unit learning outcomes: 3, 4

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.

Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Risk Assessment Statement

There are no out of ordinary risks associated with undertaking this unit.

Course Learning Outcomes

This unit is designed to support your development of the following course/study area learning outcomes.

NS95 Master of Nursing

  1. Apply advanced knowledge and skills to manage and improve nursing practices across diverse and complex contexts to improve health outcomes and service provision.
    Relates to: In-class Exam
  2. Critically analyse evidence to inform decision-making in advanced nursing and interprofessional care contexts. 
    Relates to: Annotated Bibliography: Organisational Structure and Strategy, Analysis of a Change Management Scenario
  3. Communicate complex evidence-based findings through professional dissemination using a range of digital technologies. 
    Relates to: Analysis of a Change Management Scenario
  4. Initiate, lead and reflect on collaborative practice that advocates for ethically and culturally safe care enabling sustainable health service delivery that embeds a range of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and diverse perspectives.
    Relates to: Analysis of a Change Management Scenario

PU77 Graduate Diploma in Health Management and Leadership

  1. Design innovative and strategic responses to health leadership and management challenges to improve consumer, community, organisational and system level outcomes.
    Relates to: In-class Exam, Analysis of a Change Management Scenario
  2. Critically analyse research to inform ethical, evidence-based health management and policy decisions.
    Relates to: Annotated Bibliography: Organisational Structure and Strategy
  3. Plan ways to communicate, collaborate and negotiate with stakeholders from diverse backgrounds to co-design equitable outcomes and sustainable performance in healthcare.
    Relates to: Analysis of a Change Management Scenario
  4. Apply reflective practice to professionally develop self and others.
    Relates to: Analysis of a Change Management Scenario

PU87 Master of Health Management and Leadership

  1. Design innovative and strategic responses to health leadership and management challenges to improve consumer, community, organisational and system level outcomes.
    Relates to: In-class Exam, Analysis of a Change Management Scenario
  2. Critique and engage in research to inform ethical, evidence-based health management and policy decisions.
    Relates to: Annotated Bibliography: Organisational Structure and Strategy
  3. Communicate, collaborate and negotiate with stakeholders from diverse backgrounds to co-design equitable and sustainable healthcare.
    Relates to: Analysis of a Change Management Scenario
  4. Apply reflective practice to professionally develop self and others.
    Relates to: Analysis of a Change Management Scenario