Program Seeks to Bring Best of Nursing and Business to Long-Term Health Care Management

The Schools of Business and Nursing are forming a new collaboration to administer the highly successful Graduate Certificate Program in Long-Term Health Care Management.

Offered by UConn’s School of Business for over 40 years, the graduate certificate program has prepared seven out of every 10 current skilled nursing-home administrators in Connecticut.

Alumni also serve in leadership roles in continuing care and assisted living communities, home healthcare agencies, hospice centers and more. The new collaboration with the School of Nursing brings the clinical care perspective into long-term care administration.

“Professional business leadership, combined with exceptional clinical care, is the ideal combination for patient care and institutional strength,” said Dean John A. Elliott of the School of Business. “The Nursing School is the proper partner and I believe this new collaboration offers tremendous potential.”

Dean of Nursing Deborah Chyun agreed.

“Strong leadership in health care management is critical to meet the needs of the growing population of individuals requiring long-term care services. By 2050, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Labor project that 27 million people will use paid, long-term care services,” Chyun said.

“Quality of care has been an important concern in long-term care settings, and the innovative and timely partnership of UConn’s School of Nursing with the UConn School of Business’ Graduate Certificate Program in Long-Term Health Care Management will serve to meet the challenges of providing high-quality, cost-effective care through inter-professional education and collaboration,” she said.

With the partnership, the Schools of Business and Nursing are expected to seek grants to explore new models of leadership education, said Professor Jeffrey Kramer, who has directed the program for 37 years and is soon retiring. The task for faculty will be to focus on the complexities of care delivery from both administrative and clinical perspectives, he said, noting that the relationship between administrators and clinicians is critical to the success of a facility. Any curriculum changes would be in the future.

“This partnership will further strengthen our program, but I’d also like to think that UConn can be a significant contributor to the national discussion on this topic,” Kramer said. “I’m sure others will be closely watching to see what develops here. I think it is a very positive step forward for both schools, for UConn, and for our students.”