Graduate Certificate in Patient Safety, Error Science and Full Disclosure

The Global Campus in partnership with the College of Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago

Program Information

The College of Medicine at the University of Illinois at Chicago, in partnership with the Institute for Patient Safety Excellence (IPSE) at UIC, offers this Certificate in Patient Safety, Error Science and Full Disclosure through The Global Campus, providing working professionals the opportunity to expand their experience through quality online education.

The health care environment requires a systems-oriented, inter-professional, and patient-centered approach for optimal patient success. New skills and attitudes are required to meet the changing needs of patients in a medical environment that has become one of multilayered systems, informatics, assessment, outcomes, and quality indicators. This certificate will ensure that students are prepared to meet the evolving requirements of challenging health care environments.

With a learner-focused environment, the Certificate in Patient Safety, Error Science and Full Disclosure equips learners with opportunities to become leaders in the advancement of patient safety and quality health care. Learners gain an understanding of the foundations of patient safety and quality care; effective communication and collaboration skills with patients, families and other professionals; and the skills necessary to implement medical error disclosure and risk reduction programs.

With hospital and health care agencies increasingly designing and implementing new patient safety practices, health care workers will benefit from the professional credentials earned in the Patient Safety Leadership program. Students will also benefit from the focus on inter-professional teamwork communication and collaboration, medical error science, and health care leadership in a culture of safety. By attending to the issues of patient safety and creating plans to effectively reduce risk and potential for error, students will gain the knowledge and skill to design and implement a comprehensive approach to error science management. In today's complex health care environment, expanding one's skills and knowledge will increase opportunities for career growth.

An additional benefit of the Patient Safety Leadership program is that learners with professional licenses may be able to use courses in program toward continuing education requirements. Students are encouraged to contact their licensing accrediting body for details.

The Certificate in Patient Safety, Error Science and Full Disclosure certificate program delivers courses using online instruction that emphasizes self-directed learning and team collaboration.

The partnership with the UIC Institute for Patient Safety Excellence (IPSE) makes this program unique in its interdisciplinary approach, as reflected in the IPSE mission to improve the safety and outcomes of patient care through:

1. Continuous improvement of the patient care process through analysis and measured change to current clinical programs in the inpatient and outpatient environments.
2. Translating the knowledge gained from these interdisciplinary care processes to develop the research and education programs necessary to advance the national patient safety agenda.
3. Sharing this interdisciplinary patient safety research and improvements in patient safety and patient care outcomes through educational programs, bringing benefit to all the people of Illinois and beyond.
4. Fostering translational curricula, research and clinical practice that targets novel interdisciplinary approaches to patient care involving, but not limited to, all of the Health Science Colleges, the College of Engineering and the College of Architecture and the Arts.

Upon successful completion of all coursework, you will earn a Certificate in Patient Safety, Error Science and Full Disclosure from the College of Medicine at the fully accredited University of Illinois at Chicago.

Degree/Certificate: Certificate

Total Credit Hours: 12

Course Starts:

The Global Campus will offer the following start dates for the Certificate in Patient Safety, Error Science and Full Disclosure:

• September 3, 2008
• January 7, 2009
• May 6, 2009
• September 1, 2009

Additional start dates will be determined soon.

Required Campus Visits: 0

Completion Schedules: Each course will be eight weeks in length. The typical course load is one course per eight-week term. You can complete your certificate in 24 weeks if you take courses in back-to-back terms.

Program Contact:
Global Campus Student Services
510 Devonshire
Suite H
Champaign, IL 61820
Phone: (866) 896-3939
E-mail: gcadvisor@uillinois.edu