Evaluation of MSc programmes: MSc in Healthcare Management MSc Quality and Safety in Health Care Management MSc Leadership & Management Development

1.1 Introduction This report outlines the findings from an educational evaluation that comprehensively measured the impact that masters' degrees in healthcare management, leadership & management development and quality and safety in healthcare management had on graduates who completed the programmes at the Institute of Leadership, Royal College of Surgeons (RCSI) in Ireland. The results presented here include graduates' evaluation of the quality of their course, the extent to which graduates reported the development of leadership, management and generic capabilities and, the impact the master's programme had on graduates' subsequent careers. The participants in this study were graduates who completed a MSc in Healthcare Management, MSc in Leadership and Management Development or MSc in Quality and Safety in Healthcare Management. These programmes have been delivered at RCSI since 2005 with the first graduates in 2007. The first section of the evaluation reports on the methods used to evaluate the masters' programmes at the Institute of Leadership. This is followed by the presentation of the results which includes: the demographic profile of the sample, the results from the survey that measured graduates' experience of their programme of study, the extent to which graduates made gains in the development of leadership capabilities and, finally, the employment destination of graduates following the completion of the programme. 1.2 Methods The evaluation is principally concerned with measuring the quality of the programme and the educational and professional outcomes achieved by graduates as a consequence of the programme. In this study outcomes are classified as short to medium term outcomes and longer-term impacts. Short to medium term outcomes included students satisfaction with their programme of study, academic achievement, the development of generic capabilities (graduates' ability to tackle unfamiliar problems, work as a member of a team, 4 develop problem-solving, analytical and written communication skills), the development of graduate qualities (motivation toward lifelong learning, the ability to value perspectives other than their own, the ability to investigate new ideas), the impact of the educational programme on professional practice and the development of leadership capabilities. The measurement of longer-term outcomes included the impact of the programme on the graduates' employment. This section outlines the methods that were used to measure these outcomes. 1.2.1 Aims of the Evaluation The aims of this evaluation were: 1) to evaluate the quality of the masters' programmes delivered by the Institute of Leadership at RCSI and; 2) to measure the outcomes that occurred in …