Graduate Certificate in Health Leadership and Management

Prominent health-sector guest speakers contribute to the program, specifically the Health Systems, Policy and Governance unit.

The UWA Graduate Certificate in Health Leadership and Management benefits from the guidance of an industry advisory group, chaired by HBF Chief Executive John Van der Wielen. The group contains representatives of all facets of the health sector, including clinical, aged care and disability.

"Highly skilled and competent managers need to learn and master specific skills in leadership applied to healthcare systems if we, as a community, are to radically improve and transform Health to meet the future challenges in a cost-effective manner.  

Despite the many experiences and challenges faced in my 20-year career in Clinical Healthcare, I have gained new insights into the unique challenges faced by leaders and clinical staff in the Health sphere through the unit 'Leadership in Healthcare'."

Matt Edwards

MSC BAppSc (Physio) BSc
APA Musculoskeletal Physio MACP APAM

Deciding to study an MBA (Flexible) with a specialisation in social impact is a strong and committed decision to fusing business and social impact together to benefit community, business and yourself. Students of the GCSI can progress into the MBA (Social Impact) as part of the MBA (Flexible). The course draws on the GCSI courses for the social impact specialisation.

Graduates of the UWA MBA program earn the highest salaries in Australia, almost $200,000 per annum after completing their course, at an average age of 34 (QS Top Universities Global MBA Rankings for 2021).

What makes the healthcare sector so challenging compared to other industries?

The primary concern for the health industry is how to contain rising costs, while not compromising patient safety and quality of care.

Policymakers, regulators, providers, funders, pharmaceuticals and medical devices firms play a significant role in shaping the industry in the interest of providing affordable and quality healthcare to the community. The increasing cost will have a tremendous impact on the national healthcare budget and healthcare delivery.

Healthcare leaders must see into the future, create a new vision for success, and be prepared to make significant improvements to deliver cost-effective value-based healthcare to patients, and other stakeholders.

This unit provides a strategic framework for understanding the challenges and barriers that are being faced by healthcare organisations.

Depending on your background and your chosen course, postgraduate studies may be a way to:

1. You'll build your knowledge and skills to meet the complex features of the rapidly changing health care industry.
2. Grow your network of management level professionals in the health sector.
3. Learn from industry practitioners, academics, and public and private leaders in the WA health sector.

• provide strategic direction to multiple stakeholders within the health system, creating commitment across the health sector to address priorities for improved health services.
• analyse health systems, the policy environment and funding context from a business context.
• demonstrate effective health leadership to provide high quality care that is effective, efficient, accessible, patient-centred, equitable, and safe.

"Real life leadership skills have never been more important in healthcare. As our knowledge and technology expands at an unprecedented rate it is matched by the complexity of the working system.  Keeping the focus on the clinical care of an individual and the community within that environment is a massive challenge. It is clear from the Sustainable Health Review that we need to rise to the challenge, own it, and drive into the future. Striving for clinical excellence is achievable but a culture of continuous learning is pivotal to success. Continuing education in Health Leadership and Management provides a toolbox for problem solving to drive a solutions-based ethos."

Director of the Burns Service of Western Australia, Consultant Plastic Surgeon at Fiona Stanley Hospital and Perth Children’s Hospital, co-founder of the first skin cell laboratory in WA, Professor in the School of Surgery at The University of Western Australia, and co-founder of the Fiona Wood Foundation

“As an alumnus of UWA who is heavily involved in the health system as CEO of HBF, this new course is a much needed boost to health services education and I think it will be very popular with overseas students.”

John Van Der Wielen, CEO of HBF, and Chair of the advisory committee for this professional course