Teaching and Learning Certificate for Health Care Educators

Program Features

Many disciplines within the health professions face current and future shortages of qualified practitioners. Exacerbating this shortage is a dwindling number of faculty available to prepare the next generation of health care practitioners. Lack of faculty results in limited numbers of students that can be admitted into programs. This program will educate health care professionals in the theory and skills needed to assume the role of educator. The program is presented in an online format to provide maximum flexibility for busy professionals. Online interaction with faculty and fellow students provides a supportive, dynamic environment to try new ideas and develop tangible outcomes.

The purpose of this program is to prepare health care clinicians to teach in the academic and clinical settings. This program provides learners with the educational principles needed to integrate their clinical acumen and knowledge with didactic and theoretical tools to teach others. The program takes advantages of the latest technologies in the teaching of health care professionals. For example, clinical simulation provides opportunities to learn, evaluate, and test new methods of care.

The MGH Institute recognizes that teaching and learning occurs across a wide variety of settings and levels. Clinical and classroom instruction for health care students occurs from the community college level and extends through undergraduate and graduate institutions and members are needed at all levels.

This program provides the opportunity for health care practitioners to package their clinical expertise in a framework that can be shared effectively to enrich new learners in a given profession. Students in this program build a knowledge base of educational principles and methodologies that they translate into teaching projects specific to their professional roles and interests.

The MGH Institute has developed a broad-based, interdisciplinary certificate program for current or prospective health care educators. There are two certificate pathway options available:

Graduate Certificate -- 9 credits
A three-course sequence, provides the essentials of developing a complete learning project, and culminates in a teaching practicum. It can be completed as a non-degree student, without formal matriculation. This option is ideal for staff personnel, preceptors and clinical supervisors who wish to expand their clinical teaching roles.

• As with any non-degree offering, employees working within the Partners HealthCare System may take one 3-credit course at half-price tuition (proof of eligibility required, see non-degree section for more details).

Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS) -- 15 credits
For those individuals interested in continued development as an academic educator, additional courses emphasize program and curriculum development and evaluation strategies. These courses assist the student in developing discipline specific programs of study and focus on broader issues impacting health professions education. This 15 credit Certificate of Advanced Study adds two additional courses to those listed above.

• Classes for both the 9 credit and 15 credit certificates are taught online.
• Up to 6 credits of coursework completed as a non-degree student can be transferred in for the Certificate of Advanced Study.

To receive additional, detailed information about the Teaching and Learning certificate, submit an online inquiry. You'll have the option to register for an upcoming information session at the same time.