Updating the Master of Healthcare Management Curriculum based on the Job Expected Competencies in Health System

Competency-based education seeks to bridge the gap between the labor market and the academic education system. Due to the problems of graduates of this field in the professional contexts, this study endeavored to up to date the curriculum of the field based on the expected job qualifications of the health system.

This qualitative and applied study with the focus-group discussion method was conducted in the Faculty of Management and Medical Education of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in the academic year 2019. To discuss the group, 13 faculty members and experts, graduates as well as two hospital managers were selected to identify the differences between academic learning and the professional requirements, and then to evaluate the content and topics of the Master of Health Services Management course. At the end of the groupchr('39')s consensus, notes were taken on the agreed results.

 The data analysis revealed that the essential competencies are like this: leadership, effective teamwork, problem-solving, system thinking, and quality improvement. Changes were suggested in the content of existing courses, like working abilities with STATA software, expertise to design solutions by systems thinking methodologies, awareness of the ultimate challenges of the decisions without supporting evidence, and capacity to compare and criticize strategic planning process and outcomes.

Findings revealed that modifications to current courseschr('39') content were suggested by adding new curriculum approaches to cover the required skill set. Given changes in the formal curriculum is a time-consuming process, transforming the content of existing courses is recommended.