Reserved for Hifsa- Healthcare Informatics

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING REQUIRED FOR HEALTHCARE MANAGEMENT

David Kolb’s experiential learning cycle model states that learning is the process and knowledge is the outcome; learning becomes knowledge when the learner is caught up in the experience (Kolb,  1984 ). Kolb argued that the most meaningful learning, knowledge acquisition, and integration occur when the learner progresses through all four stages of Abstract Conceptualization, Active Experimentation, Concrete Experience, and Reflective Observation. Another researcher, Donald Schön, called the phenomenon of learning through experience, “knowing-in-action,” which becomes “knowledge-in-action” (Schön,  1983 , p. 59). He argued that practitioners “know-in-doing” and that their art could be taught to others. In his subsequent work ( 1987 ), Schön indicated that real-world problems are not clean, pristine, and textbook perfect. They are messy, overwhelming, and full of underlying themes, issues, and agendas that may not be related to the practitioner’s discipline, but influence the problem at hand. Practitioners name and identify what is relevant and create a conceptual framework for problem solving according to their training and discipline (Buchbinder et al.,  2005 ). To succeed in practice, healthcare managers must be able to wrangle their way through these tricky problems.

In addition to issues related to cost, quality, and access, real-world healthcare management problems are tangled up in personalities and politics. Healthcare employers are looking for people who are team players, problem solvers, and politically savvy self-starters, who will go above the call of duty. Solid healthcare management programs utilize a wide variety of approaches to develop the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for this fluid environment. In addition to the traditional readings, quizzes, examinations, and research papers, educators in healthcare management also utilize self-assessment tools, reflective papers, online discussions, in-class lectures and discussion, case studies, and role play.

Experiential learning, such as case studies focused on healthcare settings and extensive teamwork, group projects, team and individual presentations, role play, and internships, are signature teaching methods in most HCMN curricula. Faculty-supervised internships, practica, and projects in healthcare organizations provide an opportunity for students to learn how to apply theory and principles in the context of work situations and to develop skills essential to these tasks. In addition to providing an opportunity for the transition from the student to professional role, at the undergraduate level internships offer the chance to try out a job without risk. If it turns out that it was something you never want to do again, you have gained that knowledge without looking like a job-hopper after you graduate.

Internships give you opportunities for networking, to find a mentor, and to see what kinds of roles exist. Also, internships allow you to practice what you have learned by demonstrating your knowledge and skills, and help to further develop your competencies (Thompson,  2005 ). Many healthcare management graduates obtain their first job from their internship. Internships should be treated like a very long job interview: Every day is a chance for the intern to demonstrate how indispensible he or she can be to the organization. Healthcare management interns are welcomed enthusiastically by health services organization practitioners. The most frequent question posed preceptors at the end of an internship placement is “When can we have another intern?” Likewise, undergraduate students always say the internship is the most useful part of the curriculum. At the graduate level, many universities offer a paid administrative residency or practicum, that is, eight-months to one-year-long training with a health-care executive preceptor who has made the commitment to mentor and coach a student into an executive role. As Xavier University notes, these experiential educational opportunities provide you with “intensive project and management experiences … invaluable for developing a strong management foundation and helping you launch a successful career” (Xavier University,  2008 ).

CHAPTER SUMMARY

Healthcare management is one of the fastest growing fields in the United States. Opportunities for employment and a satisfying career are expected to be above average for the next two decades. Critical learning includes: liberal arts; conceptual, technical, and functional competency in general management and healthcare management; managerial skills and abilities; and experiential learning where you can apply classroom theory to real-world healthcare management. If you are willing to study and work hard, the dynamic field of healthcare management might just be the career for you.

REFERENCES

American College of Healthcare Executives. (n.d.). ACHE code of ethics. Retrieved July 22, 2008, from  http://www.ache.org/ABT_ACHE/code.cfm

American College of Healthcare Executives. (n.d.). FACHE: Advancement to fellow. Retrieved July 22, 2008, from  http://www.ache.org/mbership/credentialing/credentialing.cfm

Association of University Programs in Health Administration. (n.d.a). Program certification and accreditation. Retrieved November 18, 2008, from  http://www.aupha.org/i4a/pages/index.crm?pageid=3518

Association of University Programs in Health Administration (n.d.b). Criteria for undergraduate program certification. Retrieved November 18, 2008, from  http://www.aupha.org/files/public/2008++%20UNDERGRADUATE%20CRITERIA.pdf

Buchbinder, S. B. (2008, Spring). Walking the talk. AUPHA Exchange, p. 2.

Buchbinder, S. B., Alt, P. M., Eskow, K., Forbes, W., Hester, E., Struck, M., et al. (2005, June). Creating learning prisms with an interdisciplinary case study workshop. Innovative Higher Education, 29(4). Retrieved July 22, 2008, from  http://www.springerlink.com/content/h8k6k2537l603h04/

Buchbinder, S. B., & Thompson, J. M. (2007). Teamwork. In S. B. Buchbinder & N. H. Shanks (Eds.), Introduction to health care management (p. 303). Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett.

Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education. (n.d.). About CAHME: Historical overview. Retrieved November 18, 2008, from  http://cahme.org/History.html

Health Resources and Services Administration. (2003, Spring). Changing demographics: Implications for physicians, nurses, and other health workers. United States Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Bureau of Health Professions, National Center for Health Workforce Analysis. Retrieved July 22, 2008, from  http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/healthworkforce/reports/changedemo/content.htm

Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Locke, E. A. (1983). The nature and causes of job satisfaction. In M. Dunnette (Ed.), Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology (pp. 1297–1349). New York: John Wiley and Sons.

Loden, M., & Rosener, J. B. (1991). Workforce America! Managing employee diversity as a vital resource. Homewood, IL: Business One Irwin.

Schön, D. A. (1983). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. New York: Basic Books.

Schön, D. A. (1987). Educating the reflective practitioner. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Thompson, J. M. (2005, Fall). Competency development and assessment in undergraduate healthcare management programs: The role of internships. The Journal of Health Administration Education, 22, 417–433.

Thompson, J. M. (2007). Health services administration. In S. Chisolm (Ed.), The health professions: Trends and opportunities in U.S. health care (pp. 357–372). Sud-bury, MA: Jones and Bartlett.

Towson University. (2008). General education requirements. Retrieved July 22, 2008, from  http://www.towson.edu/registrar/Degree/geneds/index.asp

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2007a, Fall). Occupational outlook quarterly. Retrieved July 22, 2008, from  http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/2007/fall/art03.pdf

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2007b, December). Occupational outlook handbook, 2008–2009 Edition. Medical and Health Services Managers. Retrieved July 22, 2008, from  http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos014.htm

U.S. Census Bureau. (2000). Census 2000 demographic profile highlights. Retrieved July 22, 2008, from  http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=&geo_id=01000US&_geoContext=01000US&_street=&_county=&_city-Town=&_state=&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010&_submenuId=factsheet_1&ds_name=DEC_2000_SAFF&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry=

U.S. Census Bureau. (2004). Census bureau projects tripling of Hispanic and Asian populations in 50 years; non-Hispanic whites may drop to half of total population. Retrieved July 22, 2008, from  http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/001720.html

U.S. Census Bureau. (2005). 2006 American community survey data profile highlights. Retrieved July 22, 2008, from  http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=&geo_id=01000US&_geoContext=01000US&_street=&_county=&_cityTown=&_state=&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010&_submenuId=factsheet_1&ds_name=DEC_2000_SAFF&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry=

University of Chicago, School of Social Service Administration, Chicago, IL. The graduate program in health administration and policy. (n.d.). About GPHAP. Retrieved July 22, 2008, from  http://gphap.uchicago.edu/aboutgphap.shtml

Xavier University. (2008). Residency. Retrieved November 18, 2008, from  http://www.xavier.edu/mhsa/Residency.cfm