- Teaching: All courses are conducted on-line and asynchronously, and the HQS program utilizes a standardized curriculum taught by experienced HQS professionals. Readings and lectures are posted throughout each course on a weekly basis.
- Learning: Discussion prompts make up part of every course, and generally the class participates in one to two discussion prompts a week. Journals, reflective documents, case studies, and team projects reinforce the framework in which the students learn. Office hours are available for students to probe their level of understanding. Interaction with alumni and others in the field are available to students to enhance their career planning.
Healthcare Quality & Safety
Contact
Name:
Mary Reich Cooper, MD, JD
Program at a Glance
Who Should Apply
Professionals from all disciplines in healthcare will benefit from learning the tools and techniques in the Healthcare Quality & Safety program. Three or more years of experience is desirable but not required. We accept students from the global community of healthcare delivery and across the continuum of care. A holistic review of the application considers the applicant's experience, academic achievement, references, and career goals.
Mission
We develop emerging leaders to improve lives and provide exceptional value in healthcare quality and safety.
Vision
Transforming education to empower quality and safety leaders, promote interprofessional collaboration, stimulate research, and improve outcomes.
Values
Respect: Honor others' perspectives with integrity and accountability
Innovation: Encourage disruptive thinking and creativity through collaboration
Sustainability: Anticipate the impact of community and global change on those we serve
Excellence: Commit to the highest performance by students, staff, and faculty
Program Competencies
| Program Competency | Description |
|---|---|
| Leadership | Apply management and leadership techniques for developing and implementing a strategic approach to healthcare quality and safety. |
| Complex Adaptive Systems | Interpret and account for internal and external factors that influence structure, process, and outcomes. |
| Change Management | Integrate change management tools and principles for organizational transformation. |
| Improvement Science | Design and implement performance improvement strategies for healthcare quality and safety. |
| Program Evaluation | Evaluate systematic approaches for driving clinical or performance outcomes for targeted populations. |
| Governance | Assess and respond to applicable legal factors, regulatory mechanisms, and other governing bodies that influence healthcare quality and safety. |
| Professionalism, Ethics, & Transparency | Foster a culture of openness and trust by integrating professional accountability, transparency, and ethical decision-making in support of patient and family-centered care. |
Teaching, Learning, & Assessment Methods
| Teaching & Learning Method | Definition |
| Readings | Students complete assigned readings in textbook, articles, websites, etc. |
| Lectures with media | Professor does most of the talking, with some sort of media support (e.g. PowerPoint, overheads, video, whiteboards, etc). Students participate via discussion that is primarily characterized by students asking clarifying questions, etc. |
| Guest Speakers | Individual/panel of experts from the field present to students. |
| Online Discussions | Students actively engage in an online discussion, either synchronous or asynchronous, with the professor and with each other. Students can stimulate or respond to discussion. |
| Web-based Modules | Interactive learning is more than searching for information or reading websites. |
| In-Class Presentations | Students formally deliver information to the rest of the class in a well-prepared format that required analysis and preparation. |
| Cases | Students actively engage in analyzing a case study to determine causes, implications, strategies, etc. Case analysis is either shared with the class through open and interactive discussion or debate, or students prepare a written case analysis for review and feedback. |
| Team Activities | Three or more students collaborate as a group to complete one deliverable. |
| Reflective Learning | Students complete structured process (e.g. journaling, one-minute response, assessment instruments, weekly reports) to review, understand, analyze, and evaluate their own learning and/or performance. The evaluation should be based on pre-selected criteria. In addition, the assessment with their peers and/or experts in the field. |
Discussion responses are graded with rubrics to assess class participation and level of analysis in the students' thought process. Papers and quizzes are used to assess the students’ development of understanding about the topics. Over the course of the program, projects and group projects contribute to an assessment of competency and teamwork. The final project is a Capstone at the student’s own organization, mentored and guided by the HQS faculty, and culminates in a paper and presentation that achieves the program's competencies.
| Assessment Method | Definition |
| Pre/Post Knowledge or Skill Testing | Any formal comparative assessment of the student's knowledge or skills both before and after a learning intervention. |
| Knowledge-Based Exams | Any formal exam that evaluates student knowledge attainment. |
| Paper/Reports | Student generated written work that is part of the learning process or is the final documentation of learning, including research reports, mid-term, and/or final papers. |
| Synthesis & Analysis -Based Exams | Any formal exam that evaluates student synthesis, analysis, and/or evaluation ability. |
| Case Review & Feedback | Utilization of a predetermined set of variables/criteria to evaluate case analysis work, and to provide effective suggestions/recommendations for improvement. |
| Project Review & Feedback | Utilization of a predetermined set of variables/criteria to evaluate case analysis work, and to provide effective suggestions/recommendations for improvement. |
| Team Effectiveness | Criterion-based observational feedback of student behavior (and possibly work products) in team projects. |
| Journals | Collection of reflective writings, either structured or free form, about a topic. |
| Reflective Modeling | Standardized techniques to facilitate awareness and evaluation of one's behavior and to generate plans for improvement, including self, peer, faculty, preceptor, or other expert assessment. |
| Class Participation | Active monitoring, assessment, and feedback focused on the frequency, consistency, and quality of the student's participation during face-to-face online dicussions. |
Quick Facts
- 100% job placement rate post-graduation
- >95% very satisfied with HQS program
- Diverse and interprofessional
Program Outcomes
| 2022-2023 | 2023-2024 | 2024-2025 | |
| Total Graduates | 5 | 9 | 7 |
| Satisfaction with Program | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Annual Retention Rate (From 1st to 2nd Trimester) | 80% | 91% | 100% |
| Graduation Rate | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Average Months to Complete Program | 30 | 32 | 24 |
| 2022-2023 | 2023-2024 | 2024-2025 | |
| Number of Students Employed within 3 Months of Graduation | 5 | 9 | 7 |
| Hospital or Health System | 4 | 8 | 7 |
| Physician Practice | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Military Health System or Veteran's Health Administration | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Governmental Agencies | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Trade Agencies | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Foundation or Voluntary Agency | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Long-Term Facility | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Home Health Agency | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Consulting | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Insurance/HMO | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Information Technology/Analytics | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Pharmaceutical/Biotech/Medical Device Company | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| National Health Organizations | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Investment Banking re: Healthcare | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Venture Captial or Private Equity | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022-2023 | 2023-2024 | 2024-2025 | |
| Females | 3 | 8 | 2 |
| Males | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Unknown or Unreported | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2022-2023 | 2023-2024 | 2024-2025 | |
| Physicians | 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Registered Nurse | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Respiratory Therapist | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Physical Therapist | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Clinical Staff | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Educator/Faculty Member | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Unknown or Unreported | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022-2023 | 2023-2024 | 2024-2025 | |
| Hispanic | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Asian | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Black or African American | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| White or Caucasian | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Two or More Races | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown or Unreported | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2023-2024 | 2024-2025 | |
| No parent/guardian ever attended college | 1 | 0 |
| One or more parents/guardians attended college, but did not finish | 0 | 0 |
| One or more parents/guardians have an Associate's degree (2 year degree) | 0 | 0 |
| One or more parents/guardians have a Bachelor's Degree (4 year degree) or higher | 6 | 5 |
| Unsure / Prefer not to Answer | 1 | 2 |
Accreditation
The HQS program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME), the specialized accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) as the only accrediting body for healthcare management programs at the master's level. CAHME accreditation only applies to the HQS master's degree program; it does not apply to the Advanced Practice Certificates (APC) or graduate certificates.
Accredited status is a mark of quality. It is also an indication that a program in healthcare quality and safety has committed to participate in the establishment of distinct accreditation standards for master’s level healthcare quality and safety education.
Thomas Jefferson University is accredited by The Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
Students can review Thomas Jefferson University's profile on the CAHME website.