Linfield College is launching two health care certificate programs available online. The programs are the Health Administration Certificate and the Global Health Certificate and will begin in the Fall of 2014.
Aimed at professionals and aspiring professionals in health care, the courses are offered online, and both certificates include internships or volunteer or paid field experiences. Linfield’s health certificate coordinator works with each student to make arrangements for carrying out these experiences either in one's community or globally. The online format makes the certificates available to students with schedule and location constraints who could not otherwise enroll.
“Linfield College is responding to the needs of health professionals and adults who would like to enter the field of health administration and recognize that they need to develop strategic competencies to perform well in the current rapidly changing world of health management," says Michael Leahy, the certificate faculty coordinator.
The online Health Administration Certificate will equip students with the skills necessary to lead and manage people and projects and improve quality outcomes in the field. In eight online courses, students will learn the core competencies of measuring and improving quality in health care settings managing electronic health information, and understanding population health and prevention. Through the field experience or internship, students will gain an understanding of the pervasive changes that are transforming health and reforming health systems in the U.S. and globally. This certificate can be completed in less than two years on a part time basis.
The online Global Health Certificate uses scholarship and real world experience to help students build an informed perspective on international health. The six-course online program includes two field experiences or volunteer or paid internships in two different settings, that may be carried out in the U.S. or globally. By exploring multiple cultural understandings of health, the program builds competencies in population health, planning and policy, marketing, management and leadership, and the use of digital information to improve prevention and health care delivery.
The certificate programs are guided by an Advisory Committee, composed of Linfield faculty and administrators from the departments of Health, Human Performance and Athletics, Nursing, Computer Science, Business, International Programs, and Continuing Education. The Advisory Committee consulted with health care leaders from a variety of organizations including Kaiser Permanente, Providence Health Systems, Legacy Health, OHSU, OCHIN, and the Oregon State Department of Health who advised on core competencies needed in health management.
Individuals interested in the new online certificates or in Linfield’s other accredited online college degrees or certificates are encouraged to contact Linfield College Adult Degree Program for information.
