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A first for Canada and Ryerson – The Master of Health Administration Program in Community Care

April 05, 2018

A new graduate program launching at the Ted Rogers School of Management, to address the demand for skilled managers in community healthcare, is the first of its kind in Canada.

The TRSM Master of Health Administration in Community Care, or MHA(CC), is designed to address the demand for skilled managers in private, public and not-for-profit organizations that plan, coordinate, and deliver clinical and supportive community healthcare.

Care in the community is growing in importance as policymakers are moving more healthcare services from institutional sites to home and community settings.  As the population ages and the prevalence of chronic disease increases, integrated models that ease access to and transitions between services, while ensuring quality are necessary.

The program will address the need for innovative and entrepreneurial managers who can effectively and ethically lead, manage and start organizations that deliver care across diverse populations and locations.

Dr. James Tiessen, Director of the School of Health Services Management at TRSM, was inspired to create the MHA(CC) program after working closely with key community stakeholders, alumni and faculty. He says although there are other good graduate programs in healthcare management and policy, their focus remains on large organizations such as hospitals or governments.

“This new program will specialize in developing leaders who know how to negotiate and coordinate care delivery across networks of provider organizations of all sizes and types, as well as for family and friends of clients,” said Tiessen.

The program is offered in a modular format over four terms and students will take courses like performance management, comparative health policy and information technology for home and community care.

Dr. Karen Spalding, Director of the MHA(CC), says the program recognizes that there is unique knowledge and skills sets required to work in this dynamic and complex sector.

“A key goal is to educate more people to recognize that home and community care can be a career destination, not just something people do until they get a job in a hospital,” said Spalding.

Ryerson University is known for its career-focused curriculum and experiential learning opportunities. Students in the new program will gain real world experience through their capstone course where they work directly with community based organizations to address issues and solve problems collaboratively.

“We are very excited with the number of community care organizations that have been supportive of our vision from the beginning,” said Spalding. “We’ll continue to offer a wide range of experiential learning opportunities for our students throughout the program.”

The new program will be hosting two information sessions to give prospective students a chance to learn more. To register, please click below.

MHA(CC) information sessions:

November 7th, 2018 (external link, opens in new window) 

December 4th, 2018 (external link, opens in new window) 

Group of students working