Master's Degree programme in Management and Leadership in Health Care: YTEKES16

Descriptions

DEGREE
In addition to Polytechnic degrees (Bachelor’s degree) it is also possible to complete higher Polytechnic degrees (Master’s degree) at Universities of Applied Sciences (Law on the Amendment of the Polytechnics Act 411/2005). The objective of the higher Polytechnic degree / Master’s degree is to meet the increasing competence demands of working life. The co-operation between the University of Applied Sciences and working life is strengthened in the education. In the competence produced by the Master’s degree, the focus is on the aspects of broad extent and transferability which enable the degree holder to work in variable tasks in different working environments. The Master’s degree in Health Care enables the person to progress into demanding expert tasks. The Polytechnic Master’s degree gives the same qualifications for a public office or task as the Master’s degree at universities (Decree 426/2005). In international contexts the degree title is Master of Health Care (Decree 423/2005).

The degree programme in Management and Leadership in Health Careis based on the Bachelor’s degree in Health Care (Nursing) at a university of applied science, or another suitable higher education degree, and a minimum of three years of professional experience in the relevant field. The extent of the studies is 90 credits which equals ca. 2 years of studies. The studies are completed in multi-professional groups in health care, in which students have the possibility of completing part of the studies also according to their individual progress plan.

The studies have been structured as three entities:advanced studies, the Master’s thesis and optional studies.

STUDY OBJECTIVES
Starting points and goals

The starting points in the degree programme Management and Leadership in Health Care Practice are the changes that have taken place in the social and health care service system and the growing competence requirements (e.g. the KASTE programme 2008, Workforce 2025 project). The degree programme inManagement andLeadership in Health Care Practice strives to strengthen the quality of the staff’s competence and to secure the needed personnel in the clinical work environment. The curriculum work in the degree programme is based on for instance the basic educational mission according to the Polytechnics Act, the Bologna Declaration, the European Qualification Framework (table 1), the Ministry of Education development plan for education and research, the competence descriptions produced by the Working Group for Polytechnic education in Health Care 2005 (www.minedu.fi/julkaisut/),the competence categorising produced by the ECTS project of Arene ry (www.ncp.fi/ects),The Strategy of Turku University of Applied Sciences, and the curriculum developed in co-operation with the European network.

Table 1. Description of Polytechnic Master’s degree competence level for the European higher education institution area (EFQ)

Level 7

Knowledge

Skills

Competences

Master’s level

Central learning outcomes

Knowledge enabling highly specialised and original/independent thinking, which partly correspond to the highest competence in the work / study field.


Critical awareness of the questions pertaining to the interfaces between the knowledge in their own field and that of other fields.

Specialised problem-solving skills needed in research and /or in innovative action in order to develop new knowledge and practices and to bring together knowledge in different fields.

Ability to lead and renew practices in complex learning and working environments which are difficult to anticipate, and demand a new strategic approach

Ability to take responsibility for the development and strategic evaluation of the different professional competences of groups and work practices.

The aim of the studies is to give students

extensive, in-depth knowledge required for the development of working life practices in one’s field and the necessary theoretical knowledge for acting in demanding expert and leadership tasks in the field
a comprehensive view of the field in question, of its position in working life and its social importance, and readiness for analysis of research knowledge in the field as well as for monitoring the development of professional practices and analysing it
skills for life-long learning and readiness for continuous development of one’s own professional skills
the communication and language skills required by working life
readiness to work in international interaction and professional practice (A423/2005).
The curriculum has been structured in a way that allows for independent needs. The student’s learning and growth into professionalism are facilitated by individual and collaborative working methods.

The basis of planning the studies is the student’s learning process. In the education, importance is placed on the student’s competence and the outcome of their learning process. Learning can take place in a wide variety of situations through both formal and everyday learning or in working life. The studies are measured in ECTS, the student-oriented system of credit transfer and measuring (European CreditTransfer System). In it, the basic unit of measuring studies is the actual work load of an average student needed to achieve the learning goals: 1600 hours/60 credits (cr) per year. One credit equals ca. 27 hours of student work.

The competence goal in the curriculum is described as competence requirements and the overall requirement as combinations of competences. The competences are formed of extensive wholes of knowledge and skills including for instance the knowledge, skills and attitudes of the individual. Competences here illustrate the acquired qualification and the ability to carry out professional tasks required by career advancement which the education has made possible. The competences in the degree programmeManagement and Leadership in Health Careare research and development skills in the field of Social Services and Health Care, clinical expertise and leadership of clinical competence. The core competenst of the degree described below are:


Research and development competence in Social Services and Health Care-

students are able to assess information critically, to describe wholes and to create knowledge which develops practices
students know how to apply the methods of research and development work and to implement development projects which develop the field ·
students know how to develop the competence of the working community based on evidence in collaboration with multi-field personnel and clients / patient groups
students know how to develop the internal and external quality of nursing and co-operation
Leadership of clinical competence

students know how to lead nursing work in their own clinical responsibility area
students are able to implement ongoing improvement of nursing processes and leadership of change processes in the working community
students are capable of leadership of the working community / organisation towards ethical responsibility, goal-orientation and future orientation
Clinical competence

students know how to independently and multi-professionally take responsibility for the acute nursing and medication of different client/patient groups promoting the health of the client and the patient
students are able to promote the effectiveness of decision-making, patient guidance and clinical practices based on evidence
STRUCTURE OF STUDIES AND STUDY CONTENTS
Pedagogical points of departure

The point of departure for the pedagogical teaching arrangements is a social-constructivist learning concept and a working method promotion innovation in learning and development. Learning is seen as the learner’s active social behaviour in which the learner interprets their observations and new knowledge on the basis of their earlier knowledge and experiences. The Master’s degree offers students an opportunity to develop and deepen their own professional expertise. Expertise is seen as competence based on high quality knowledge which grows and develops through continuous self-reflection. In the pedagogical activities, the principles of adult pedagogy are applied. Adult students coming from working life have learning needs that differ from those of the young; in the student counselling of adults their specific features as learners with individual experiences and goals are taken into account. Knowledge is not passed on to the students as such, but instead students are seen as goal-oriented and self-directing learners and active processors of information, and as agents producing new innovations. Students are guided towards active, critical thinking and goal-oriented construction of the knowledge basis needed in clinical expertise and development competence.

Teaching arrangements

Teaching includes contact lessons and independent work. The contact lessons are arranged ca. once a month as periods of two days. The contact lessons are formed of individual and small group study guidance, expert lectures as orientation to the study modules, and seminar work. Electronic communication is a central tool in study guidance. Independent work and interactive online studies and guidance play an important part in the studies. Independent studies consist of among other things reading literature, research and articles, of learning assignments, small group work and individually chosen other seminars and conferences. Part of the teaching is implemented in a foreign language. Clinical leadership skills are applied in diverse clinical work environments taking into account the students’ individual starting points and learning needs.

Working life connection

Close collaboration with working life throughout the studies is a support for the goal-oriented progress of the studies. The learning and working environment is extensive, flexible and open. Knowledge is construed and learning takes place while participating in clinical practices in different working environments. Development projects in working life, multi-professional expert communities and the use of information and communication technologies enable student-centred study forms in which students, teaching staff, working life experts and stakeholders in other organisations form extensive co-operation networks. Situational contexts, and collaborative and development oriented applied research are the point of departure for the working life based learning process. Students increase their expertise through the problems posed by the members of the learning community, the views they themselves form and the critical assessment of the theories and evidence based knowledge they have found.

Students have an opportunity of completing part of their studies abroad at higher education institutions with which Turku University of Applied Sciences has a co-operation agreement. Studies abroad are part of the degree completed in Finland in a manner which is agreed separately and do not lengthen the study time. Studies completed abroad are fully accredited in the student’s degree. In the degree programmeManagement and Leadership in Health Careleading to a Master’s degree, the regional focus areas are in accordance with the international strategy of Turku University of Applied Sciences. Other forms of internationalisation are for instance studying in English, participation in international conferences and projects, and partaking in home internationalisation.

The student as the planner of their studies (ISP = Individual study plan)

On the basis of the studies in the degree programme, students draw up their individual study plan (ISP) at the beginning of their degree studies. This is a dynamic process during which students choose their study objects according to their learning needs. In the individual programme and study plan, the student’s earlier education, working life experience, personal life situation and readiness for self-directed learning are taken into consideration. The drafting of an individual study plan starts immediately at the beginning of the studies. The student’s learning process is supported by the tutor activities, peer tutoring and working life mentoring offered by the educational system. Internationalisation, regional development activities and research and development skills are taken into account in the guidance and support.

THESIS
According to the Ministry of Education, it is the objective of universities of applied sciences to form expert communities, in which the units offering degree education are also able to provide research and development activities serving their region.This goal can be achieved by focusing on increasing the collaboration between students and working life in the education, and by developing the contacts between research and development work and teaching. The needs and competence requirements of working life and the strengthening of research and development activities as a mission of universities of applied sciences have guided the choice of study methods (ref. the Polytechnics Act 351/2003).

The implementation of the Master’s thesis in the degree programme has been modelled as a project to be implemented in a project learning environment according to a tripartite model. Students are supported in their participation in research and development projects of both Turku University of Applied Sciences and their own background organisations, or other collaboration partners. The development project is implemented as a venture planned in collaboration with working life, and it is approached purposefully with the methods of applied research. The development project is a tool for developing working life practices and for creating new innovations and new competence.

EVALUATION AND FEEDBACK
Evaluation of learning

The studies towards a Master's degree are subject to continuous evaluation which is both supervising and developing in nature. The objects of evaluation are both the student's learning process in its different phases and the learning outcomes.

The point of departure for the evaluation is the student's career and study plan and portfolios describing the student's professional growth.The evaluation of learning is based on the goal descriptions presented in the curricula. The choice of contents and pedagogy in the course units, and the choice of assessment methods support the achievement of the degree programme goals. The target for the evaluation is the student’s development toward professional expertise. Another central target for the evaluation is the working life development task together is the student’s learning process together with its outcomes. The evaluation consists of self-evaluation by both the student and the group, of peer evaluation, of feedback from working life and of the assessment of the instructors.

The criteria for evaluation and approval are decided by the teachers responsible for the implementation of the studies. Responsible teachers participate in person in the oral or written feedback on each study module. The gathering and integration of the evaluation is the responsibility of the instructors.

Completion of all the parts of a study module prescribed by the curriculum is a prerequisite for approval. The grades given for approved studies are excellent (5), good (4-3), satisfactory (2-1) or approved / completed for courses the grading of which has thus been described in the implementation plan. The information on completed courses will be entered in the study records of Turku University of Applied Sciences.

Recognition and accreditation of knowledge and skills acquired earlier(AHOT) is based on competence based thinking. In competence based recognition, the point of departure is learning and competence, not completion of studies. (A352/2003) Recognition from the student’s viewpoint means that the student strives to understand the competence they have acquired in different ways by analysing it in relation to the competence goals of the degree programme. The student needs to be able to describe and demonstrate their competence which is assessed by the institute arranging the teaching. (ARENE 2009)

Students can on certain grounds be accredited for other, equivalent studies completed at a domestic or foreign higher education institute as part of their degree.Accreditationmeans the acceptance of studies, practice, work experience or competence as part of the degree or course to be completed. The sub concepts of accreditation are compensation and inclusion. Compensation is a form of accreditation in which required studies in the curriculum are compensated with other, contents-wise equivalent studies in the same field. Inclusion is a form of accreditation in which studies completed elsewhere are included as a part of the degree as for instance alternative or optional studies. Earlier studies can be accredited according to the valid Degree Regulation of Turku University of Applied Sciences. The duty of demonstrating the extent and contents of the studies lies with the student. Accreditation is applied for per study module on the form created for it. The application is approved by the Degree Programme Manager. The decision on approval or rejection of the application is submitted to the Student Counselling Office and the student.

Evaluation of education

Education is developed with the help of regularly collected feedback. The evaluation consists of feedback from students and working life, of the assessment of theses implemented as working life development tasks, of the efficacy of the products of various development projects, of benchmarking, and of self-evaluations and analyses by the degree programmes. Students assess their learning and give feedback on the planning and implementation of teaching in different forms and different combinations per study module, per term and in the end phase of their studies. The received feedback is made use of in the development of the degree programme.