Become a Change Agent with an Online Patient Safety and Quality Healthcare Degree
As more people require the services of the healthcare field over the next few decades, increased attention will be put on patient safety. In this fast-growing industry, there's a need to focus on compliance, analysis and development of quality healthcare. Interpreting information on how patients are treated helps create needed change in policies and assists in preventing errors in the future.
By earning a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration with a concentration in Patient Safety and Quality, you'll learn basic management practices that focus on the patient experience, improving medical outcomes and reducing healthcare costs. The American Hospital Association identified improvement in the quality of patient care as one of the most important initiatives currently facing the industry. In response, UMS worked with specialists in the field to develop this patient safety and quality healthcare program, one of only a few baccalaureate-level healthcare administration degrees of its kind.
See Yourself Succeed in Patient Safety and Quality Healthcare
Coursework in the patient safety and quality healthcare program focuses on leadership, risk identification and analysis, data management and cultural change. Throughout your studies, you’ll gain a comprehensive knowledge of healthcare administration while learning how to take on the patient advocacy role that a growing number of consumers require for their well-being.
In the BS in Healthcare Administration with a concentration in Patient Safety and Quality, you’ll learn how to:
- Engage healthcare stakeholders using communications that reflect keen interpersonal skills, effective collaboration practices and deep cultural competence
- Demonstrate knowledge of microeconomic, macroeconomic and financial principles through monitoring and utilization of financial and economic data for decision making and strategic planning
- Utilize principles and functions of management to interpret market analyses for strategic planning and to foster organizational development, promote effective use of human resources and enhance operations
- Propose recommendations to improve the effectiveness and integration of information management systems at the various levels of healthcare organizations and achieve organizational goals
- Assess contemporary policies, regulations and governance structures relevant to the U.S. healthcare delivery system for their impacts to health and implications for ethical decision making
- Promote dynamic organizational cultures that establish strategic visions, methodically analyze and interpret data based on sound epidemiological and statistical principles, and embrace change for continuous healthcare quality improvement
As a private, nonprofit university, UMS has one mission – to help you see yourself succeed. The benefits of earning your degree in patient safety and quality healthcare at UMS include:
- Affordability. Take advantage of some of the most affordable tuition rates in the nation
- Convenience. Attend class when it’s convenient for you – online education means 24/7 access
- Efficiency and flexibility. Complete your undergraduate degree at your own pace, over six 8-week terms per year
- Expert instruction. Learn from instructors with relevant, real-world experience
- Networking. Tap into our nationwide network of alumni for internship and career opportunities
- Simple application process. Just fill out an online undergraduate application, and we’ll retrieve U.S. transcripts from your previous institutions and automatically complete an official credit evaluation. Plus, there’s no application fee
- Student support. Count on the ongoing support of dedicated academic and career advisors specialized in your area of study
- Transfer-friendly enrollment. Transfer up to 90 credits toward an undergraduate degree
Career Outlook
An aging population has created a hiring boom in the healthcare industry. Employment of medical and health services managers could see growth of 20% through 2026, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.* Median annual salaries for this type of role, which vary by region and responsibility, were $96,540 in May 2016.*
With a degree in patient safety and quality healthcare from UMS, you'll possess the skills to be considered for positions such as compliance director, patient safety representative, patient safety manager, and quality and patient safety specialist, becoming the voice for patients across organizations.
Curriculum
The patient safety and quality healthcare degree curriculum combines the operational, ethics and policy side of UMS's healthcare administration degrees with the analysis and strategies required to become a specialist in patient advocacy. Courses are taught by leading professionals in the healthcare administration and patient safety fields.
Courses To Prepare You For Your Career
UMS's bachelor's in patient safety and quality program includes:
- General education
- Degree-specific courses
General Education Program
Our programs are designed to equip you with the skills and insights you need to move forward. In recent years, employers have stressed the need for graduates with higher order skills - the skills that go beyond technical knowledge - such as:
- Writing
- Communication
- Analysis
- Problem solving
All bachelor's students are required to take general education classes. Through foundation, exploration and integration courses, students learn to think critically, creatively and collaboratively, giving you the edge employers are looking for.
Courses May Include
Program Outcomes
- Engage diverse health care stakeholders using communications that reflect keen interpersonal skills, effective collaboration practices, and deep cultural competence
- Demonstrate knowledge of microeconomic, macroeconomic and financial principles through monitoring and utilization of financial and economic data for decision-making and strategic planning
- Utilize principles and functions of management to interpret market analyses for strategic planning and to foster organizational development, promote effective use of human resources, and enhance operations
- Propose recommendations to improve the effectiveness and integration of information management systems at the various levels of health care organizations and achieve organizational goals
- Assess contemporary policies, regulations, and governance structures relevant to the United States health care delivery system for their impacts to populations' health and their implications for ethical decision-making
- Promote dynamic organizational cultures that establish strategic visions, methodically analyze and interpret data based on sound epidemiological and statistical principles, and embrace change for continuous health care quality improvement
