December 17, 2019
Health Care Management undergraduate program earns recertification
CARBONDALE, Ill. — The Health Care Management undergraduate program at Southern Illinois University Carbondale recently earned select national recertification from the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA).
The program’s certification is for six years and follows an initial certification in 2015. The AUPHA notes all 29 of the organization’s criterion were met during the review; a demonstration of program success. SIU’s program, within the School of Health Sciences, is one of only approximately 47 AUPHA certified programs across the nation.
Sandra K. Collins, professor and health care management program director, noted the recertification work started in 2018 and included a complete program review and met with the AUPHA review team this summer.
“It’s quite a thrill to know our program stands proud among the best of the best health care management programs in the nation,” Collins said.
Found in “substantial compliance”
The health care management program offers bachelor’s degrees in both online and on-campus formats, with minors available in health information/informatics management and long-term care. Collins said that a new respiratory therapy program has been approved as a specialization and is likely to start in fall 2021.
While certification is not mandatory, gaining a full six-year recertification distinguishes SIU Carbondale “as a leader in health care management education” in addition to showcasing the program’s quality, Collins said. There are other important components the certification carries, she said.
“For employers, it assures our curriculum provides our graduates with a course of study focused on proficiency of competencies that specifically relate to the health care management industry,” Collins said. “Most importantly, for students, graduating from a program holding a full six-year AUPHA certification stamps their academic accomplishment with a seal of excellence, which often gains them more professional visibility and career flexibility.”
Team effort
Collins credits the work of administrators, faculty, staff, the community advisory board and students with the program’s success.
“They all get to take a victory lap for this achievement of being in “substantial compliance,” she said. “It takes a lot of hard work to be great and our team dedicates each day toward the ongoing success of our students and our program.”
More information on the health care management program is available at sah.siu.edu/undergraduate/health-care-management/.