The new curriculum of Healthcare Policy, Innovation and Management

Within the HPIM master’s programme, you will tackle real-world challenges such as improving processes in a healthcare organisation, developing policies to address issues in international healthcare systems, and researching emerging trends shaping the future of healthcare. The new curriculum has been carefully designed to meet the needs of the labour market. Programme coordinator Arianne Elissen explains further: “We now focus strongly on developing relevant knowledge and the skills and attitudes that innovative healthcare professionals need. While the programme’s content remains the same, we have completely changed the way students learn.” This shift followed a curriculum evaluation. Although students enjoyed the theory, they often struggled to see how to apply it in practice. “Those concerns completely disappeared,” Arianne says.

At the heart of the master’s programme are seven Authentic Professional Tasks: complex, realistic cases that mirror the kind of challenges HPIM graduates will face in their careers. “We choose cases that are as current and challenging as possible — for example, financing around the drug Ozempic, or running a simulated hospital through serious gaming.” Alongside these tasks, you will dive into theoretical knowledge and attend expert-led lectures, ensuring you gain essential insights into healthcare innovation and organisation.

The Authentic Professional Tasks are firmly embedded in the curriculum, but the programme coordinators believe it is equally important for students to shape their own learning paths. “We achieve this partly by offering electives, each linked to one of the competency roles and guided by professionals from the field,” Skills Coordinator Niels Hameleers explains. If you want to focus more on collaboration, for instance, you can learn how to network effectively or attend a leadership workshop. If you’re particularly interested in healthcare innovation, you might join a Design Thinking workshop at Zuyderland’s Healthcare Innovation Lab. “This way, you personalise part of your degree and often get the chance to meet experts working in the sector,” Niels adds.

During the Design Thinking workshop at the Healthcare Innovation Lab, you will, for example, study major commercial companies such as McDonald’s, Disneyland, or Patagonia and apply their values and philosophies to innovate healthcare systems. Niels explains: “The electives encourage you to think outside the box, helping you discover new ways to create solutions for challenges in the healthcare sector.”

Because the master’s programme places greater emphasis on self-directed learning, every student receives support from a coach. “Our coaches are staff members who regularly meet with students to reflect on their competency development, discuss the personal learning goals each student sets — such as improving teamwork or communication skills — and advise on electives that align with those goals.”

Just like a strong healthcare organisation, the quality of the new Healthcare Policy, Innovation and Management master’s curriculum is continuously evaluated to ensure it closely matches the needs of students and the labour market. Arianne says: “The staff and students have almost completed the first year of the new curriculum. It’s been a busy period that demanded extra effort from everyone, but we look back on it with satisfaction. Now we’re looking forward to the next academic year!”