Enhancing Patient Safety and Quality Improvement in Healthcare Graduate Academic Unit Certificate

Innovative course series prepares the next generation of quality, safety and innovation health care leaders

The Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing offers the Enhancing Patient Safety and Quality Improvement in Healthcare Graduate Academic Unit Certificate (EPSQIH-GAUC). The Graduate Academic Unit Certificate program provides students with foundational knowledge around quality improvement in health care settings, patient safety standards and expectations and the application of these principles into a real-world project. The courses that make up the certificate are built upon national regulatory standards and provide graduates with the knowledge and skills to apply to take national certification options if they wish.

Who can apply?

• Current students within any of the Nursing Science and Health-Care Leadership Graduate Group degree programs, including Doctor of Nursing Practice — Family Nurse Practitioner, Doctor of Philosophy, Master’s Entry Program in Nursing and Master of Health Services — Physician Assistant Studies.
• UC Davis graduate students who have an interest in quality and safety. These students may apply and will be admitted on a space-available basis, with consent from the graduate academic unit executive committee.
• UC Davis graduate students who are interested in this graduate academic unit certificate but are not pursuing a career in nursing or health care may apply but must explain within their application why they are interested in the program.

Admissions into the Enhancing Patient Safety and Quality Improvement in Healthcare Graduate Academic Unit Certificate Program is competitive and not all applicants are guaranteed admissions. Students may be placed on a waitlist to fill any space-available spots.

Potential applicants should apply for the certificate program after they completed at least one quarter of graduate education at UC Davis.

Qualifications to apply

Criteria used to determine admission of students:

• Current graduate student in Nursing Science and Health-Care Leadership Graduate Group degree program
• Good academic standing (at least 3.0 GPA)
• Successful completion of at least one quarter of graduate education or consent of the program chair
• No prerequisite courses are required for admission

Although a background in nursing or health-related field is highly encouraged, it is not required. However, first consideration for admission will be given to applicants who have an interest in nursing and/or the health care field.

What will I gain from this experience?

Quality and safety innovators in the health care setting — who know and understand quality improvement and patient safety principles, strategies, and techniques — are critical and in high demand in today’s health care workforce. It is essential that clinical care providers and all health care leaders be equipped to understand, participate in, and lead patient safety and quality improvement processes when entering the health care workforce. Ensuring consistent high quality and safe care takes a team working together who recognize and address errors and potential harm in the patient care system at both the team and organizational levels.

The EPSQIH-GAUC prepares learners with a fundamental understanding of the eight dimensions and 29 competencies of the National Association of Healthcare Quality’s (NAHQ's) Healthcare Quality Competency Framework. Upon completion of the EPSQIH-GAUC, learners will be ready to participate in and lead patient safety and quality improvement activities in a variety of health care settings. Clinicians who complete all 12 units will be ready to sit for the NAHQ Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) Certification at the novice level, the only accredited certification in health care quality.

UC Davis graduate students who complete the EPSQIH-GAUC receive the following benefits:

• Notation on the official UC Davis transcript of completion of the Enhancing Patient Safety and Quality Improvement in Healthcare Graduate Academic Unit Certificate
• Enhancing Patient Safety and Quality Improvement in Healthcare Graduate Academic Unit Certificate from the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis

Application process

Students in the Doctor of Nursing Practice — Family Nurse Practitioner degree program are not required to complete the application form. Instead, the School of Nursing student services team contacts students directly with enrollment instructions. All other students must complete an internal application

Students are strongly encouraged to apply prior to enrolling in any of the graduate academic unit certificate courses but are eligible for admission to the EPSQIH-GAUC program up to and including completion of the second course in the series. All applicants are notified via email within eight weeks of applying for the certificate program.

Application deadline

Applications must be submitted by Sept. 1 for consideration in the first round of application review. After Sept. 1, applicants are reviewed and admitted on a space-available basis.

Certificate requirements

The series of courses for the EPSQIH-GAUC begins each fall and is a total of three quarters in length. All courses are offered through the Nursing Science and Health-Care Leadership Graduate Degree Programs. EPSQIH-GAUC students are able to enroll in all the necessary courses.

Students electing to complete the EPSQIH-GAUC complete the three courses in addition to courses required for the graduate program in which they are enrolled.

The EPSQIH-GAUC requires 12 didactic units plus a practicum experience. Completion of the practicum experience is required for students enrolled in the EPSQIH-GAUC program. Students taking the courses as electives but who are not admitted to the EPSQIH-GAUC program are not allowed to complete the practicum experience, due to limited availability.

Students who enroll in the EPSQIH-GAUC are required to complete the NRS 494AV, 494BV and 494CY course series in order, beginning in fall quarter and finishing in spring quarter, or at the discretion of the instructor.

Contact

Interested students should contact the school at HS-BettyIreneMooreSON@ucdavis.edu with any additional questions.