Mission and Competencies

Program Mission, Vision, and Values:

The mission of the Master of Healthcare Administration program at the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah is to provide early- and mid-career professionals with leadership skills and technical tools to improve the human condition and prepare them for increasingly responsible leadership roles across a broad spectrum of healthcare delivery organizations.

Through outstanding faculty and partnerships with world-class healthcare organizations, we create a student experience both inside and outside the classroom that includes learning from experienced healthcare professionals and participating in innovative extra-curricular experiential opportunities.

The vision for the MHA program is to be recognized as one of the nation’s top programs in healthcare administration.

Recognizing that the current healthcare environment demands a focus on value and requires the collaboration of multiple parties, we seek to practice and instill in MHA graduates a commitment to:

  • Person-centered care
  • Mutual respect
  • Collaboration and teamwork
  • A strong ethical basis for decision-making

Program Competencies

The Eccles School’s MHA program prepares graduates for meaningful positions in healthcare management and administration in a variety of health organizations. Its objective is to train the healthcare leaders of tomorrow. The MHA curriculum is designed to foster excellent analytical and communication skills, innovation, and a strong commitment to community service and performance improvement. The curriculum is structured to include a broad range of didactic and experiential learning opportunities.

The MHA program’s educational content areas are guided by the program’s core competencies. The competency statements follow each MHA content area and describe the level of achievement students are expected to attain by graduation.

Leadership and Ethics

  • Ability to utilize organizational mission, vision and values in action and decision-making
  • Demonstrate principle-based leadership in decision-making and operations
  • Ability to be flexible and adaptable, and think creatively in a changing environment
  • Ability to engage in crucial conversations including demonstrating respect and honesty in interpersonal relationships and creating trust through personal accountability and follow-through
  • Demonstrate emotional intelligence by being self-aware, managing emotions and empathizing with differing perspectives of peers and stakeholders
  • Incorporate ethical standards into personal values to guide behaviors and actions
  • Demonstrate courage and confidence by speaking up and taking an ethical stand when necessary

Strategic and Critical Thinking

  • Utilize organizational goals and strategic objectives in creating a foundation for action
  • Use strategic planning and critical thinking to discern among alternatives and devise recommendations
  • Use a strategic orientation in solving complex problems
  • Analyze situations taking into consideration diverse controllable and uncontrollable factors

Business Knowledge and Skills

  • Understand, explain and use financial and accounting information
  • Understand and use data analytics to support decision-making
  • Understand the fundamental principles of healthcare organization, management and problem-solving
  • Devise organizational processes that incorporate practical management strategies, principles of quality management, human resource management, and data management

Relationship Management and Teamwork

  • Ability to engage in and manage positive relationships with individuals and teams
  • Ability to facilitate a group and motivate individuals to work together in teams
  • Ability to participate effectively as a member of teams as both leader and member

Communication

  • Ability to speak and write clearly and effectively
  • Ability to prepare and deliver cogent business presentations
  • Ability to communicate effectively interpersonally

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