HSci 2104: Management of Health Services
Spring 2015
Note: this course is conducted entirely online, asynchronously. Students are
expected to log in to the course several times throughout every week to
participate in class activities, as well as complete independent work each week.
Faculty Contact Information
Dr. Susie Pontiff Stringer
spontiff@gwu.edu
office – (904) 256-1253 (Monday – Friday 9:00 – 5:00)
cell – (239) 207-1820
Course Description
This course provides and introduction to management principles as they apply to the delivery of services
provided by health sciences disciplines. Issues addressed include information systems, leadership, team
building, fiscal management, human resource management, quality improvement, and management of conflict
and change.
The book we will use in this course, Essential techniques for healthcare managers, was developed especially
for use in healthcare management programs. The healthcare industry, like many others, continually changes
and strong management skills are necessary to move organizations to a higher level. This book is an easy read
that offers students an opportunity to learn key management principles and concepts and apply management
skills through discussions and exercises. The textbook will be supplemented with additional readings, which
can be found under the Resources button.
Course Objectives
At the completion of this course of study, the student should be able to:









Discuss the management process and functions of management.
Describe some of the various philosophies of effective time management.
Describe the procedures to be employed for efficacious decision making.
Compare and contrast the levels of authority in decision making processes within an organization.
Discuss conflict management theories/strategies and apply these strategies to resolve conflicts,
disagreements and complaints in a constructive manner.
Identify the forces of change affecting health services delivery and lay out a plan of action for
dealing with resistance to change.
Compare and contrast the concepts and advantages of major leadership models.
Adopt appropriate leadership styles for various situations and people.
Demonstrate effective communication skills with individuals and groups.
Course Format
This course is organized into 15 weekly sessions, each beginning at 12:01 a.m. Monday morning and
lasting until midnight the following Monday. This course will be conducted on-line. You are expected to
visit the course Blackboard "classroom" for updated lecture and assignment details as well as to
participate in the on-line class discussion. Please adhere to the following schedule:
Monday through Thursday: Complete assigned readings and post initial online
comments/assignments/drafts.
Friday through Monday: React and respond substantively to colleagues’ comments, ideas, and drafts.
Assignments are to be submitted on the dates specified, to the proper place, and in the proper format
(see below). Submission time will be based on the time stamp in Blackboard. Technical/computer
problems are not an acceptable excuse for a late assignment. Any file submitted will be considered the
student's submission to satisfy the assignment. Submission of the wrong file is not an acceptable excuse.
Files not submitted to the specified proper place (Blackboard, e-mail, discussion area, etc.) will not be
accepted.
All assignments are to be submitted as Word Documents (except discussions [which go in the
discussion area]).
The student's full name must be in all e-mails and Word documents. For Word documents, the name shall
be placed in the page header so it will appear on all pages.
All assignments (except e-mail and discussion postings) shall be formatted with 1" margins all around and
in 12 point font. Line spacing shall be double spaced, with no extra space between paragraphs (each line
of text should have no more than one blank line between it and the next line of text). Any other
requirements specific to an assignment will be posted with the requirements for that assignment.
o
o
o
o
o
o
Discussions due weekly (20%): Substantive discussions involve attentive listening, critical
thinking, integration of ideas, and pushing dialogue and discussion to new levels of thinking that
serve to facilitate group learning and leadership. In this course it includes giving and
receiving substantial feedback with your colleagues. You must actively participate in the
discussions to pass this course with an excellent grade. Secondly, you must respond to other
colleagues, and push their thinking and ideas with questions and contributions. While we do not
limit how many people you reply to and how often you reply within a week, you should be in and
out of the discussions a few times throughout the scheduled period.
Short Case Study due January 24 (10%)
Quiz 1 due February 7 (10%)
Midterm Exam due March 7 (25%)
Quiz 2 due March 21 (10%)
Management of Health Sciences Services Project due Friday, April 24 (25%)
Complete descriptions of the above assignments can be found in the Assignments section of the
course. It is extremely important that you let me know if you will be late submitting assignments. I do
understand that unforeseeable conflicts and crises arise, but expect you to do your best to plan ahead
and adhere to deadlines. I think you will find that I am very reasonable in accommodating your
needs, but you need to keep me informed. If you don't, I have no choice but to lower the grade on late
assignments. Not to do that would be unfair to others who complete the work on time.
You are expected to contribute meaningfully and professionally to class discussion. Contributions should
include insights and experiences from your professional (or personal) life that help to illustrate a point being
discussed by the class. Discussions will be evaluated using the following criteria:





Responses are clear, well organized, and succinct - so that others can follow your thoughts
Questions from the course instructors are answered
Statements, positions, and opinions are well supported
Responses incorporate session readings and resources into the discussion
Responses are within the posted time frame and allow for interaction with faculty and
students

Responses are structured around quality, rather than quantity
You should participate in discussions by:





Consistently responding to issues brought up by other participants or faculty
Giving and receiving help
Exchanging resources and information
Attempting to explain and elaborate on the information
Challenging others' information (in a respectful fashion)
Required Textbooks
Dunn, R.T. (2010). Healthcare Management. (9th edition). Chicago, Illinois: Health Administration
Press. ISBN:978-1-56793-358-1
American Psychological Association. (2009). Publication Manual of the American Psychological
Association. (6th edition).
ISBN:1433805618
Note that this is a required text. This book details the writing standards for research assignments
in this class. If you have not purchased it yet, you will need it for this class and other classes in
your program.
Course Overview
Session
Topic
Major Assignment Due Dates
Session 1 — January 12
Introduction, Management Overview
Session 2 —– January 19
Decision Making; Coordination
Session 3 —– January 26
Communication
Session 4 —– February 2
Change
Session 5 —– February 9
Teamwork
Session 6 —– February 16
Staffing
Session 7 —– February 23
Delegation
Session 8 —– March 2
Managing Conflict
Midterm Exam due March 7
Session 9 —– March 16
Time Management
Quiz 2 due March 21
Session 10 —– March 23
Budgeting
Session 11 —– March 30
Influencing
Session 12 —– April 6
Leadership
Session 13 —– April 13
Ethics and Diversity
Short Case Study due January 24
Quiz 1 due February 7
Spring Break — March 9
Session 14 —– April 20
The Future
Session 15 —– April 27
Wrap-up/Evaluation
Management of Health Science
Services Project due April 24
Grading Policy
The Department of Clinical Research and Leadership follows the grading policy of the School of Medicine
and Health Sciences. Students will receive a letter grade rather than a numerical grade based on a 100point scale. In undergraduate courses, grades range from A to F, where A = Excellent; B = Good; C =
Satisfactory; D = Low Pass; F = Fail. Plus (+) or minus (-) grades may also be assigned. In graduate
level courses, grades are A = Excellent; B = Good; C = Minimum Pass; F = Fail. At the discretion of the
program and individual faculty, plus (+) or minus (-) grades may also be assigned. Note that an A+ is not
awarded as a final grade. Faculty are responsible for evaluating the performance of students in a
meaningful, useful and timely manner and for assigning grades on a basis that is rational, just and
unbiased.
Final Grade Scale:
B+
C+
D+
F
87-89
77-79
67-69
<62
A
B
C
D
93-100
83-86
73-76
63-66
ABCD-
90-92
80-82
70-72
60-62
The discussion board and your participation therein is a critical element of this course. To earn a "C"
grade in participation, you will be expected to make at least one entry for each question posed in the
weekly discussion board and interact with at least two of your colleagues. In other words, if you expect to
earn a "C" in participation, you should post at least one original thread in each forum and then respond
substantively (i.e. add or contribute to the discussion and not simply write, "I agree") to at least two of
your colleagues' entries. Since I'm assuming that some of you will want to maximize your grades in every
part of the course, I'll provide you with further guidance as to how each of you can earn an "A" in
participation.
First, post your initial comments to the discussion board early in the week (i.e. by Wednesday night). This
will allow your colleagues time to read your ideas and prompt a greater number of reactions, responses
and questions. Please be sure that your entries are relatively brief (i.e. two to three paragraphs). This
requires that you distill and organize your thoughts rather then write in a stream-of-consciousness
fashion. Remember that you will be trying to simulate a dialogue or discussion, not a lecture or
dissertation.
After you have posted your initial comments, read and react to those posted by your colleagues. Ask
questions or seek clarification, elaboration or examples. In other words, do your part to expand the online
exchange of ideas to greater depths and higher levels of thought. Be sure to respond or react to those
questions that have been posted in response to your initial comments.
Demonstrating leadership in the online discussions is your ultimate goal. You can do this by

moving the group towards a goal. In this case, that goal is learning.



communicating your ideas in a way that shows regard for others. One way that you can
demonstrate respect for all who will be reading your discussion posts and written
assignments is to take the time to proofread your work so that it is presented in a way that is
well-organized and free from spelling and grammatical errors.
creating an environment where diverse ideas are solicited and listened to. You can foster
such an environment by asking probing questions, seeking clarification, and elaboration so as
to better understand others' points of view, playing devil's advocate, integrating multiple
perspectives, comparing and contrasting your classmates' ideas, etc.
demonstrating respect for others by posting your comments early in the week so others have
the chance to read and respond, and responding to questions posed by others.
In order to be a leader in the online classroom, you must be a full and active participant. A grade for
participation will be assigned at the end of the semester. If you have any questions or concerns during the
semester about your performance in this area, please do not hesitate to ask.
Feedback to Students
Timely and appropriate feedback is essential to student learning. I will strive to grade student's work fairly
and as objectively as possible and return it in a reasonable time.
Questions to the instructor should be posted in the Ask Dr. Pontiff discussion thread. I will try to answer
your questions within 24 hours during the week and on weekends I will try to reply to all posted
questions at least once during the 2 day period.
Writing Standards
Students are expected to use correct English in all course communications. Grades on all assignments
will reflect the extent to which the student has correctly applied principles of grammar, mechanics,
punctuation, spelling and effective sentence structure. Any deficiencies in these areas will result in either
a grade penalty or rewriting and resubmission of the assignment.
All major assignments and papers submitted for credit within GWU's Health Sciences programs requires
students to adhere to APA style formats and guidelines. If you do not have a copy of the APA manual,
you should obtain one and begin to familiarize yourself with the requirements.
Any papers that are returned for re-write and resubmission may only be granted a maximum of B+
grade. We expect students to complete their assignments at a competent level with the first submission
however, if necessary, students will be asked to re-write papers that do not reflect "graduate level" work.
We understand that many of you are working adults and that you sometimes need flexibility in order to
succeed. The curriculum in our courses is cumulative, and we expect students to complete work in a
timely fashion. You are encouraged to turn in assignments early. In the event that an emergency arises,
please contact me as soon as you know an assignment may be late. Late work may be accepted, but can
earn no grade higher than a B.
Plagiarism and Academic Integrity
The George Washington University's Code of Academic Integrity applies to all work done for this course
including written assignments and discussion postings.
Using someone else's words, ideas, phrases, or data, and representing them as your own, either
intentionally or unintentionally, is known as PLAGIARISM. Plagiarism is a serious form of academic
dishonesty and is a violation of the University's Code of Academic Integrity. Plagiarism can be grounds
for a failing grade in an assignment or even in a course.
It is expected that all students read and be familiar with the University's Code of Academic Integrity.
For more information on student rights and responsibilities, see the Guide to Student Rights and
Responsibilities.
For more information about plagiarism and how to avoid it, click on this link to GW's Gelman Library. If
you have questions throughout the semester, please email your professor.
Statement on Disabilities
Any student who may need an accommodation based on the potential impact of a disability should
contact the Disability Support Services office at 202-994-8250 in the Marvin Center, Suite 242, to
establish eligibility and to coordinate reasonable accommodations. For additional information, please
refer to http://gwired.gwu.edu/dss/.
Health Sciences Student Handbook
For further information about your educational experience in the School of Medicine and Health Sciences,
please see the Health Sciences Student Handbook