Our clients and readers are constantly asking “What do I need to do to be ready for all of this change in healthcare?” There is so much to digest, plan for and keep track of that our industry is constantly seeking new skills to confront new challenges. Professional development is a critical part of career plans in most industries – but the speed at which healthcare administration is changing is pressing the issue even further. But when can already-swamped managers find the time (let alone the money!) to stay sharp and expand their skill sets?
In the past five years a solution has emerged from the Internet. The MOOC, or “Massive Open Online Course” is a model that has the potential to revolutionize how we educate people on a large scale – not to mention give busy managers a chance to get high-quality education at little or no cost on a flexible schedule. After several universities put free, open-coursework courses online to great success, several sites developed to expand the scale of the model. Now sites like Udacity, Coursera and edX offer free courses with video lectures, materials, and examinations to anyone who can access their site. The New York Times dubbed 2012 “The Year of the MOOC”, but it might be 2013.
If you are a manger looking to stay sharp, check out some of the Coursera offerings for summer and fall of 2013 below!
Inspiring Leadership through Emotional Intelligence
- By Richard Boyatzis, Case Western Reserve University
- Emotional intelligence, hope, mindfulness, and compassion help a person reverse the damage of chronic stress and build great leadership relationships. The Positive and Negative Emotional Attractors inspire sustained, desired change and learning at many levels.
- Workload: 3-4 hours/week, October 28, 2013 (8 weeks long)
- Introduction by the professor here
- Click Here to Register
Instructional Methods in Health Professions Education
- by Caren Stalburg, MD, MA, University of Michigan
- This course provides those involved in educating members of the health professions an asynchronous, interdisciplinary, and interactive way to obtain, expand, and improve their teaching skills. These skills can then be applied within their own professional context, with a variety of learners, extending across many stages.
- Workload: 6-8 hours/week, August 5, 2013 (8 weeks long)
- Introduction by the professor
- Click Here to Register
Social Psychology
- by Scott Plous, Wesleyan University
- Ever wonder why people do what they do? This course offers some answers based on the latest research from social psychology.
- Workload: 4-8 hours/week, August 12, 2013 (6 weeks long)
- Introduction by the professor.
- Register Here
An Introduction to Global Health
- Flemming Konradsen, PhD, University of Copenhagen
- This course gives you an introduction to the most important challenges to human health facing the world today. Themes covered include global policies, health systems, changing disease patterns, IT and health, population dynamics, and health promotion.
- Workload: 4-6 hours/week, September 2, 2013 (7 weeks long)
- Register Here
Diabetes: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Opportunities
- B. Joseph Guglielmo, PharmD and Lisa A. Kroon, University of California San Francisco
- This multidisciplinary course will emphasize the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes. Topics will include patient self-management, appropriate use of technologies, nutrition, behavior modification and pharmacotherapy in the management of this disease. The course will conclude by summarizing new basic science research regarding the pathophysiology and treatment of diabetes.
- Workload: 3-6 hours/week, October 2013 (5 weeks long)
- Introduction by the professors.
- Register Here
Foundations of Business Strategy
- by Michael J. Lenox, University of Virginia, Darden School of Business
- Learn how to analyze an organization’s strategy and make recommendations to improve its value creation by building your strategist’s toolkit.
- Workload: 5-6 hours/week, September 2, 2013 (6 weeks long)
- Register Here
An Introduction to Financial Accounting
- Brian J Bushee, University of Pennsylvania
- This course will improve your fluency in financial accounting, the language of business. You will learn how to read, understand, and analyze most of the information provided by companies in their financial statements. These skills will help you make more informed decisions using financial information.
- Workload: 6-8 hours/week , September 16, 2013 (10 weeks long)
- Introduction by the professor here
- Register Here
Introduction to Finance
- Gautam Kaul, University of Michigan Business School
- This course will introduce you to frameworks and tools to measure value; both for corporate and personal assets. It will also help you in decision-making, again at both the corporate and personal levels.
- Workload: 6-8 hours/week, October 7, 2013 (15 weeks long)
- Introduction by the professor here
- Register Here
Clinical Terminology for International and U.S. Students
- Valerie Swigart, Ph.D. R.N. and Michael Gold, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh
- This course is for International and U.S. undergraduate or graduate students in the health professions who are planning or currently beginning clinical practice education in the United States.
- Workload: 2-4 hours/week, November 4, 2013 (6 weeks long)
- Introduction by the professor here
- Register Here
