Leading Health Services Innovation Program

Designed for both clinical and non-clinical staff, every aspect of this program’s development is being influenced by Metro North Health Staff and Executive feedback to equip you with contemporary, leading-edge knowledge and skills to meet our current and future needs as a health service. You will learn how to design and lead change through projects and change agendas.

The Graduate Certificate in Health Services Innovation integrates authentic assessment tasks focused on the application of knowledge and skills across four courses:

• Australian healthcare systems, reform and change innovation
  • This course focuses on the Australian and international healthcare systems to particularly focus and examine the necessity and opportunities for expanded and improved ways of enabling reform, change, and stimulation of an innovation culture and set of opportunities.
• Leading innovation and development in healthcare
  • This course combines the critical elements of leadership, facilitating an innovative culture, and achieving successful implementation.  Learners will have opportunity to reflect on their own leadership styles, flexibility and adaption of leadership competencies and behaviours in different situations and settings.
• Health economic evaluations
  • In this course, students will learn the principles of economic evaluation, how to critically appraise economic evaluations and how economic evaluations can inform value-based decision making. Students will be introduced to economic evaluation approaches such as cost effectiveness, cost utility and cost benefit analysis in assessing various healthcare interventions to guide decision making and setting priorities.
• Health improvement evidence and implementation project
  • This course focuses on innovation and implementation science in the healthcare setting and on the use of improvement and implementation frameworks and methods that can be put into practice. Participants will practically design, implement and evaluate improvement and change projects.

Delivered part-time over two years, this Graduate Certificate is offered in a blended learning mode, which combines online, self-directed and face-to-face workshops (delivered at Griffith University’s Southbank Campus) in work time.

You will need to complete self-directed learning for assessments and to prepare for each highly interactive workshop day.  The workshops provide opportunities for you and your cohort colleagues to facilitate deeper understanding of the material and build rapport with your fellow change makers of all professions from throughout the health service.

Download the guide: Leading Health Service Innovation: 2024 Guide for Applicants

As a clinician or health service administrator, you are a living example of Metro North Health’s “Values in Action”. You have a growth mindset, have cultivated the art of listening for understanding, can think outside the box, have an optimistic and positive outlook while being driven by a passion for, and deep commitment to improving patient outcomes within your role.

You “lead from where you are” and know how your work (wherever you work), contributes to your Facility/ Directorate/ Stream’s vision. You are well respected by your team, service line and department and advocate for evidence-based practice. You are willing to translate newly acquired skills into your workplace and share learnings with your team.

Put your best foot forward and work with your line manager to identify problems and build your track record in identifying, planning and managing healthcare improvement/ health service innovations.

Visit the Helix Hub via QHEPS (QLD Health computer required) for resources and tools to guide the identification of problems in the workplace.

Applications NOW OPEN – April 2024 via Smarty Grants.
Applications close Sunday 21 April 2024 at Midnight.

Your application consists of:

• A 1-page statement (2 max) (submitted via Smarty Grants) outlining:
  • motivations for applying; experience introducing improvements (clinical / non-clinical areas) either as a peer/ change champion; benefits for your team gained through your participation; willingness to challenge yourself and adopt new ways of thinking.
  • Line Manager endorsement – a PDF of an email with specific wording as outlined in the Guide for Applicants (Appendix Two)
• Names of two referees (ideally)
  1. Your current Line Manager.  This program is designed for one person to gain, then share the learnings with their team after each workshop and implement a project at the conclusion of the two-year part-time program. Metro North Health is investing in you to lead from where you are and address local problems / opportunities that align to strategic/ Facility/ Directorate/ Stream priorities.
  2. A Professional Referee. This referee (e.g. current/ previous line manager or key stakeholder from a project) must be able to verify you have skills to be a Metro North change champion / facilitator (problem identification, introducing small changes/ improvements and influence and lead from where you are).
• 2-page curriculum vitae (CV) with you academic and work history
• LinkedIn profile URL (if available).

Want to be considered for a July 2024 intake?

1. Fill in your details to request a link to the recording of the Virtual Roadshows.
2. Meet with your line manager.  You are required to produce evidence your line managers understands their obligations and also agrees to participate (advocating knowledge sharing, meeting attendance and attend a Griffith University Roundtable with executives, your mentoring and advocacy to be considered for one of 30 spots in the program). The evidence required is outlined in the Guide for Applicants (Appendix Two) – attach a PDF of the email noting specific wording.
3. Book in a Discovery Call with the Metro North Learning Coordinator.  Through this one-on-one conversation you’ll be able to see if there is an alignment with your skill set and mindset for this bespoke Metro North Health opportunity for middle managers, and emerging change leaders. Remember this opportunity is for both clinicians and health service administrators.
4. Submit your application by 21 April 2024 to the Metro North Research SmartyGrants website Graduate Certificate in Health Services Innovation 2024.