Mar 28, 2024  
Loyola Marymount University Bulletin 2015-2016 
    
Loyola Marymount University Bulletin 2015-2016 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Lean Healthcare Systems Certificate


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The three-course graduate certificate in Lean Healthcare Systems is a convenient advanced program for the healthcare professionals (providers and nurses in hospitals, clinics and emergency departments, clinical laboratories, and administrators) desiring to acquire higher and practical knowledge of streamlining operations, eliminating waste and increasing value to patients, providers and the enterprise. The Certificate delivers modern and comprehensive practical education. No prior knowledge of Lean is required. The program is managed by the Systems Engineering faculty specializing in Healthcare Systems.

The U.S. healthcare system is in a crisis. While costs continue to rise to unsustainable levels, the average quality of care lags that of other industrialized nations. The professionals delivering health care are overworked and frustrated. Lean has been extraordinarily effective in increasing the efficiency of healthcare processes - by eliminating waste (such as waiting or defects) without forcing people to work faster or harder. Health care is not a simple manufacturing-like operation - it is a highly complex enterprise, with many stakeholders, very complex processes, non-standardized patients and medical problems, and great variability in processes and demand. These factors challenge the application of “traditional” lean techniques derived from manufacturing. The Certificate bridge the gap between lean practices and the needs of healthcare enterprises. The Certificate provides comprehensive understanding of all aspects of Lean: principles, value and waste, tools and processes, human relations and cultural issues, corporate relations, quality and cost issues, case studies, and lean projects execution and implementation. After completing the certificate the student will acquire proficiency, intensive hands-on experience and ability and confidence to lead Lean improvement projects in all healthcare applications. Didactically, the courses are organized into “learn from masters,” “learn by doing,” and “learn by teaching.” The LMU program incorporates the latest knowledge and experience from highest-ranking medical organizations and national experts.

Admission Requirements


  • Application to Graduate Admissions and a $50 application fee. To apply on-line, visit http://graduate.lmu.edu
  • BS or BA from an accredited university program
  • Undergraduate transcript
  • Two years’ work experience in healthcare environment
  • Two letters of recommendation from employers (one current) or former professors

Promising applicants who do not satisfy these requirements will be considered for conditional admission and, when so admitted, must demonstrate satisfactory performance during their first year in the program.

Graduation Requirements


Completion of 9 semester hours (three courses) including SELP 535 SELP 635 , and SELP 696 .

The overall minimum GPA required for award of the Certificate is 2.7; the minimum grade in the 535 course is B, and the minimum grade in the 600-level courses is C.

Schedule


The SELP 535  course is offered remotely in the Fall semester. The student may take it while sitting at his/her computer at work or home. The SELP 696  is a Project course offered in the Spring semester. It involves one day per week. During the first part of the course students and the instructor visit each student workplace and perform Gemba walks and waste walks looking for opportunities to improve operations. The second part of the course involves 6-hr meetings at LMU developing Lean improvements. All students work as a team benefitting from cross-learning. The third course SELP 635  meets in the Fall semester one evening per week for three hours.

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