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Overview

Course Prescription

The application of general management principles to health organisations and resources, with particular reference to the nature of health organisations and health professional teams. Includes theory and concepts supporting the effective management of health human resources and financial resources.

Course Overview

HLTHMGT721 Health Management is offered for students who want to enrol in postgraduate programmes at the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences (FMHS), such as Master in Health Leadership as a core paper, Master in Public Health (MPH) and other PG courses as elective papers. Most of the MPH students opted to study this paper as part of their master's degree. This is the only management course available at the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences. Potential students are encouraged to enrol in this course as soon as possible because the maximum intake for this course is only 40 students.

This course is helpful for prospective students who want to become managers in the health systems and health services sectors, including the Ministry of Health, Te Whatu Ora (Health NZ), World Health Organisation (WHO), private and public hospitals, primary care, Human Resources(HR) management sectors and private healthcare organisations.

This course follows problem-based learning (PBL) principles, introduces key issues, and provides the student with a wide range of general management principles in the health sector. There are six modules in this course to teach the following topics.

  • The Role of Healthcare Professionals
  • Organisational Culture & Self Care
  • Organisational Management Theories
  • Change Management & Framing of Leadership
  • Workforce Development and Health Innovation for the Future of Health
  • Human Resource Management & Health Systems
  • Performance Management and Gap Analysis
  • Clinical Governance & Health Management
  • Financial management for value-based healthcare

Management tools such as SWOT analysis, Porter's five forces and Value-Values Matrix for team management will be used to identify the challenges and competencies required to function as an effective healthcare manager. Guest lectures by healthcare professionals, leaders and clinicians may be organised so that the students can learn directly from the healthcare organisations' perspectives on various topics.

In light of health organisations being heavily human resource-intensive, there is a focus on human resource management, team management and the role of innovation in workforce development for the future of the health workforce.

A feature of the course is the active participation of all involved. As we reflect and build on our experiences and share these with others in a theoretical context, learning takes place in the applied field of health management.

The course is taught on-site at the University Grafton campus. The students are required to attend all lectures as per the timetable provided and are expected to actively participate in class group work exercises to achieve effective learning outcomes. The material is applied throughout the course through case studies, discussions and in-class debates.

The course will help students critically evaluate how to be an effective healthcare manager and address the various demands of working in a healthcare organisation's complex, dynamic environment. 

There is no written exam in this course, and 100% of the work is based on individual assignments for the learning outcome assessments.

Course Contacts

Course Director

Dr M.M. Maran PhD

Email: mmut146@aucklanduni.ac.nz

Course Administrator

Mrs Upendra Wickramarachchi

Email: u.wicks@auckland.ac.nz

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15-point course, and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15-point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect 18 hours of lectures, 6 hours of discussion forums activities and exercises, 6 hours of self-directed learning, 50 hours of reading and thinking about the content, and 70 hours of work on assignments and/or test preparation. 

Course Prerequisites, Corequisites and Restrictions

Restriction

Locations and Semesters Offered

LocationSemester
Grafton

Teaching and Learning

Campus Experience

Campus Experience

  • Attendance is required at scheduled activities, lectures, and in-class group exercises to complete the components of this course.
  • Lectures and other learning activities, including seminars, will be available as recordings or slides.
  • Attendance on campus is required for the oral presentation.
  • The activities for the course are scheduled as a block delivery.

Learning Resources

Taught courses use a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas to provide students with learning materials including reading lists and lecture recordings (where available). Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Copyright

The content and delivery of content in this course are protected by copyright. Material belonging to others may have been used in this course and copied by and solely for the educational purposes of the University under license. You may copy the course content for the purposes of private study or research, but you may not upload onto any third-party site, make a further copy or sell, alter or further reproduce or distribute any part of the course content to another person.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption, we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed for potential plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct, using computerised detection mechanisms.

Similarly, research students must meet the University’s expectations of good research practice. This requires:

  • Honesty - in all aspects of research work
  • Accountability - in the conduct of research
  • Professional courtesy and fairness – in working with others
  • Good stewardship – on behalf of others
  • Transparency – of research process and presentation of results
  • Clarity - communication to be understandable, explainable and accessible

For more information on the University’s expectations of academic integrity, please see the Academic Conduct section of the University policy hub.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about taught courses is made available to enrolled students in Canvas.

Students may be asked to submit assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.


Assessment and Learning Outcomes

Additional Information on Assessment

Students are required to complete all assignments to graduate from this course.

Course Learning Outcomes

CLO #OutcomeProgramme Capability Link
1
2
3
4
5

Assessments

Assessment TypeAssessment PercentageAssessment Classification

Assessment to CLO Mapping

Assessment Type12345

Student Feedback, Support and Charter

Student Feedback

Feedback on taught courses is gathered from students at the end of each semester through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions. Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students. In addition, class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Additional Information on Student Feedback

This course scored 93.3% for overall satisfaction by the students in the SET survey-2024, and students actively participated in all the modules. The attendance for this course was always 80 to 100%. There was feedback from students to increase the lecture hours from two hours to three hours and increase the word counts for assignments. These suggestions have been implemented from the 2025 academic year.

Class representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Tuākana

Tuākana is a multi-faceted programme for Māori and Pacific students providing topic specific tutorials, one-on-one sessions, test and exam preparation and more. Explore your options at Tuakana Learning Communities.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor. Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website.

Wellbeing

We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - please see the Support Services page for information on support services in the University and the wider community.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed work is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due. If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page. This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter.

Student Academic Complaints and Disputes

Students with concerns about teaching including how a course is delivered, the resources provided, or supervision arrangements, have the right to express their concerns and seek resolution. The university encourages informal resolution where possible, as this is quicker and less stressful. For information on the informal and formal complaints processes, please refer to the Student Academic Complaints Statute in the Student Policies and Guidelines section of the Policy Hub.