Health Systems Management (MS)

Philosophy

The Health Systems Management, or HSM, master’s program, which started in 1979, educates students for highly successful careers in the rapidly growing field of health care management. We develop future leaders to transform health care in a professional program founded in research and evidence-based learning.

Students bring real-life experience to the classroom based on our internship model. Faculty bring real-life experience and teaching methods into the classroom based on our practitioner-teacher model and real-life applications. 

Our program facilitates long-term involvement in the health care leadership profession as teachers, mentors and lifelong learners in the field. Application, innovation, excellence and leadership keep us on the cutting edge of experiential learning as we continue to evolve curriculum content based on industry trends. 

Mission

Our mission is to prepare individuals for roles of increasing leadership in the field of health care management, with the ultimate goal of transforming health care organizations to deliver the highest-quality patient care and improve the lives of patients, their families and the community.

Vision

Through our practitioner-teacher model, our Program will be recognized as the premier health administration graduate program in the nation.

Values

Our program embraces the values of Rush University Medical Center, Rush University and the College of Health Sciences. These values include innovation, collaboration, accountability, respect, excellence, diversity, inclusion and accommodation.

Health Systems Management (MS): Admission Requirements

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university or anticipate completing that degree prior to the start of the HSM degree program. An undergraduate course in microeconomics is highly recommended. Prerequisites are required for matriculation, but candidates may still apply to the program prior to completion. Coursework highlighting quantitative ability is a requirement. Examples include courses in accounting and statistics.

Applicants must complete an online application through HAMPCAS, provide three letters of recommendation and submit official copies of their college/university transcripts from every college/university previously attended. International students must submit a credentialing evaluation of their international education, as well as the results from the Test of English as a Foreign Language, or TOEFL. At this time, the program will not be able to accept international students who require an F-1 Visa.

Qualified applicants are invited to a zoom interview with the HSM Admissions Committee.

Health Systems Management: Academic Policies

Graduation Requirements

To be eligible to graduate, a student must successfully complete all of the Department of Health Systems Management’s academic requirements, which include earning a minimum of 58 term hours of credit and achieving a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0.

In addition, full-time students must complete a minimum of 440 hours of work in a health care management internship. Most students will complete this by working in a part-time student job during the academic program and registering for HSM 620 and 622. Part-time students complete a separate internship course, HSM 624 and 626. Please see course descriptions for more information.

Students need to have at least 16 documented contact hours of professional or community service.

Faculty Work and Service Activities

Members of the faculty of the Department of Health Systems Management are actively involved in the operation of Rush University Medical Center as hospital administrators and health care planners, university administrators, financial managers, clinicians, attorneys, researcher and information services managers. They serve as consultants to hospitals, planning bodies and other organizations.

Faculty members hold leadership positions, participate in seminars and engage in other professional activities sponsored by the American College of Healthcare Executives, the American Hospital Association, the Chicago Health Executives Forum, the Healthcare Financial Management Association, the Association of University Programs in Health Administration, the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education, the Healthcare Information Management Systems Society and the Illinois Hospital and Health Systems Association.

Career Services

Health Systems Management students receive ongoing career mentoring, counseling and related services throughout their academic career. During the first academic year, full-time students are placed in part-time jobs throughout Rush University Medical Center. Job sites include Perioperative Services, Revenue Cycle Management, Human Resources, Rush University Medical Group, Community Health, Quality, Rush University Children’s Hospital, Patient Relations, Emergency Management, Emergency Department, Population Health and Aging, Population Health, Supply Chain, Department of Surgery, Women’s Leadership Center, College of Nursing Faculty Practice and Internal Medicine. Please note, sites vary year to year. Incoming students will be given an up to date list of internship sites as they begin the program.

The jobs provide practical experience, reinforce the coursework, produce a more dynamic classroom experience and offer students a multifaceted perspective on the field of health care management. The student’s manager also functions as a preceptor for the work experience. More information about internship onboarding will be given to students during their orientation week and applies to full-time students only.

Program faculty and staff help identify opportunities for summer internships and part-time work during the second academic year and counseling/assistance to secure postgraduate fellowships or jobs.

While students receive individualized input regarding their career goals, the program’s Professional Seminar course provides systematic training, guidance and feedback in professional skills development and career planning.

Health Systems Management Technical Standards

Rush University is committed to diversity and to attracting and educating students who will serve diverse communities locally and nationally.

Our core values — ICARE (innovation, collaboration, accountability, respect and excellence) — translate into our work with all students, including those with disabilities. Rush actively collaborates with students to develop innovative ways to ensure accessibility and creates a respectful, accountable culture through our confidential and specialized disability support. Rush is committed to excellence in accessibility; we encourage students with disabilities to disclose and seek accommodations.

The following technical functions are required of all students enrolled in the Health Systems Management program:

Acquire information

• Acquire information from demonstrations and experiences in courses such as lecture, group and physical demonstrations
• Acquire information from written documents and computer systems (e.g., literature searches and data retrieval)
• Identify information presented in accessible images from paper, slides, videos with audio description and transparencies

Use and Interpret

• Use and interpret information from assessment techniques/maneuvers/procedures.
• Use and interpret information generated from diagnostic tools.

Motor

• Possess psychomotor skills necessary to perform or assist with day-to-day responsibilities commensurate with the student’s discipline
• Practice in a safe manner and perform universal precautions against contamination

Communication

• Communicate effectively and sensitively with patients and families
• Communicate effectively with faculty, preceptors, employees, other professionals and all members of the health care team during practicum, internship and/or other learning experiences

Intellectual Ability

• Measure, calculate, reason, analyze and synthesize data related to the diagnosis and treatment of patients and populations
• Exercise proper judgment and complete responsibilities in a timely and accurate manner according to the health systems management role.
• Synthesize information, problem-solve and think critically to judge the most appropriate theory, assessment, management or treatment strategy

Behavioral

• Maintain mature, sensitive, effective relationships with clients/patients, families, students, faculty, staff, preceptors and other professionals under all circumstances
• Exercise skills of diplomacy to advocate for patients in need
• Possess emotional stability to function under stress and adapt to rapidly changing environments inherent to the classroom and practice settings

Character

• Demonstrate concern for others
• Integrity, accountability, interest and motivation are necessary personal qualities
• Demonstrate intent and desire to follow the Rush University and Health Systems Management Code of Ethics

The technical standards delineated above must be met with or without accommodation. Students who, after review of the technical standards, determine they require reasonable accommodation to fully engage in the program, should contact the Office of Student Accessibility Services to confidentially discuss their accommodations needs.

Given the clinical nature of our programs, time may be needed to create and implement the accommodations. Accommodations are never retroactive; therefore, timely requests are essential and encouraged. Contact the Office of Student Accessibility Services to learn more about accommodations at Rush University:

Marie Lusk, MBA, MSW, LSW
Director, Office of Student Accessibility Services
Rush University
600 S. Paulina St., Suite 901
Chicago, IL 60612     
(312) 942-5237
marie_lusk@rush.edu

Health Systems Management (MS): Curriculum

The curriculum is designed to instruct students in the current theory and practice of health services management, including the study of organizational behavior, quantitative and analytical techniques, planning, finance and human resources manage­ment. The curriculum structure gives students the opportunity to apply managerial principles in real-world learning environments and design and conduct applied health-services research projects.

The curriculum content focuses on the following core content areas: professional development, operations and information systems, human resources and organizational design, health care business, finance, analytics and emerging content.