Management Essentials Program

At the completion of Management Essentials, you will be able to:

• Understand the challenges of managing and leading in a health system environment
• Recognize the relationship and differences between management and leadership skills
• Apply essential management techniques and tools to successfully manage daily operations, including: Direction Setting, Decision Making, Planning and Organizing, Staff Management, and Financial and Information Management
• Identify leadership techniques to apply to enhance results and effectiveness as a manager

The Management Essentials program includes eight courses and a final project. Courses may be taken in any order; however, the recommended order appears below. The courses can be taken individually if the program certificate is not desired; click on the course titles for more information.

Course 1: Introduction to Managing and Leading

• Differentiating between managing and leading
• Articulating the main functions of good management
• Describing the main theories and models of management that have been influential over the years
• Describing the LEADS in a Caring Environment Leadership Capabilities Framework
• Integrating management skills with leadership skills in the context of change
• Distinguishing between mechanical and organic systems
• Differentiating between stability versus change
• Explaining the internal and external forces that lead to changes in healthcare organizations
• Applying techniques to address common challenges faced when implementing change

Course 2: Understanding the Canadian Health System(s)

• Describing the values of the Canadian health system
• Differentiating between the roles the federal, provincial and territorial governments play in Canada’s healthcare environment
• Explaining why Canada’s health system is considered to be primarily a public versus a private system
• Describing how health care service delivery is organized within provinces and regions
• Outlining how Canada’s doctors are engaged within the health system, and how their method of engagement requires them to be considered independent consultants

Course 3: Health Law, Policies and Standards

• Interpreting the relationship between the law and the Canadian healthcare system
• Comparing the significant differences, key principles and current issues with respect to the law versus standards and policy
• Describing the contribution that professional standards make to a healthcare organization and patient/client (clinical) care
• Describing ethical principles, frameworks and decision-making models
• Determining the expectations of compliance with legislation, regulations and/or pre-determined standards amongst regulating and funding bodies
• Explaining the rationale and benefits of accreditation for healthcare organizations
• Identifying the legal basis of employment and labour relations, and describing measures to promote harmonious and appropriate relations

Course 4: Planning and Setting Direction

• Recognizing the importance of appropriate planning when leading a healthcare team
• Understanding and describing the various types of plans within an organization, and within a specific team
• Understanding the process of developing operational plans
• Recognizing the value of direction setting, what it involves, and how to communicate direction
• Understanding when to adjust plans and how to communicate the changes to your team
• Understanding and describing the key components of decision making, and understanding how decision making can be used to resolve day-to-day management issues
• Understanding the principles of change management, and how it can be applied

Course 5: Monitoring, Measuring and Reporting

• Defining what monitoring, measuring and reporting mean from the perspective of a manager working in a health systems environment and as they relate to quality, risk and patient safety
• Identifying common monitoring, measuring and reporting tools and strategies
• Defining risk management and identify risk management challenges
• Understanding risk management tools and strategies
• Defining quality and patient safety and identify quality and patient safety challenges
• Describing quality and patient safety tools and strategies
• Describing how an organization can translate its strategy into measurable terms and how it can translate the measures into quality improvement
• Explaining the purpose of public reporting and how it can support an organization’s quality improvement journey
• Describing how organizations can compare their performance to their peers through benchmarking
• Exploring how system, organizational, and personal values influence the choice of measures, the use of measures for improvement, and the challenges associated with doing so

Course 6: Managing Financial Resources

• Understanding financial management, including key concepts and terminology
• Explaining fundamental finance and budgeting concepts relevant to a healthcare organization
• Understanding how an organization creates their operating budget
• Understanding and applying the process for departmental or program budget development (in alignment with the larger organizational operating budget)
• Recognizing various financial management challenges and some strategies to overcome the challenges
• Understanding how organizations implement financial management tools and strategies
• Understanding key aspects of procurement and contract management
• Understanding the purpose and value of health economics

Course 7: Managing and Leading People

• Understanding the difference between managing and leading people
• Identifying your personal strengths and limitations as a manager, and developing an action plan to address the specific areas
• Identifying strategies for making a successful transition from a non-managerial to managerial role
• Understanding and applying techniques for effective communication
• Implementing strategies for dealing with conflict—what to do if there is a conflict and how to do it
• Describing the practices pertaining to recruitment and selection of employees
• Implementing techniques to engage and retain your staff
• Describing the key elements of performance management
• Describing unionization and the role of unions in the workplace
• Understanding and describing the elements of a healthy workplace

Course 8: Managing and Leading Teams

• Distinguishing between the key features of a team and a group
• Describing many of the different forms and types of teams found in healthcare
• Describing stages of team development
• Understanding what is required to build effective teams, and how you can apply this knowledge in your work environment
• Describing the major components that influence team performance
• Identifying leadership techniques that will enhance your involvement on teams

Final Project

• Role-playing activity involving you as the manager, preparing for and engaging an employee (faculty) in a critical conversation
• Practicing essential management and leadership techniques, and applying tools and other information provided in this program
• Honing your skills and receiving one-on-one coaching in a supportive environment

This Program is eligible for 30 Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits through the Canadian College of Health Information Management.

The Canadian College of Health Information Management (College) is the national organization for certified health information professionals and specialists in Canada. The College requires that all professional members complete continuing professional education (CPE) activities as an integral part of their membership. The CPE program is in place to ensure health information professionals enhance their skills and expand their knowledge for the duration of their career.