Arcadia University’s Department of Physical Therapy has launched a new certificate program to begin Spring 2021 that bridges the gap between clinical practice and administration as clinicians of various medical fields take on leadership roles. 

The online Healthcare Management and Leadership Certification program prepares the next generation of healthcare managers for a lifelong pursuit of professionalism, knowledge, innovation, stewardship, and leadership for an improved healthcare system to meet the needs of all populations. This past year has proven the importance of these vital healthcare areas. 

“The way healthcare is going in the United States, clinicians are taking on more leadership roles without knowing the operational side of running a business,” said Kathleen Fortier, DPT, MBA, Healthcare Management and Leadership Certification program director. “We wanted to design something practical and financially affordable that would also allow students to become managers and leaders in today’s healthcare climate. Then, if they want to pursue an MBA, they can.”

The six, three-credit online courses students take to fulfill the certification can be applied toward an Arcadia University MBA after the program is completed. This certification has both synchronous and asynchronous components.

Students will work together in interdisciplinary and collaborative teams replicative of successful networks and partnerships in the healthcare industry. Fortier said students get real hands-on experience through the program—in the first course, they’ll identify a problem specifically related to their business or organization and then look at all sides of the issue throughout the following classes to develop a strategic plan in the final course.

Students in this certificate program can qualify for financial aid for this one- to three-year program, since courses are three credits each. 

“There’s this big gap between clinicians and C-Suite level executives who are retiring, and there aren’t enough seasoned professionals to fill those roles,” said Fortier, who pointed to courses in finance, marketing, and healthcare policy that would provide basic understanding of those topics specifically in healthcare. “The whole idea behind the certificate is to fast-track succession plans for organizations.”

This program was crafted from discussions that came from the think tank developed from Imploding the Healthcare Paradigm Symposium that was hosted by the College of Health Sciences in July 2016. 

Find more about this certificate certification program.