Education program designer Emeritus has announced the launch of Emeritus Healthcare, which will partner with universities to design online healthcare workforce development courses.
The company is currently collaborating with fewer than a dozen universities, including Emory Executive Education, Columbia Business School and MIT xPRO. The offerings, which initially will range from shorter certificate programs to leadership development courses, are meant to address the growing gap in the healthcare workforce.
Emeritus Healthcare has done research on the market and will be bringing its understanding of demand as well as expertise in design development to university partners, company President Ranil Herath told Fierce Healthcare. The offerings are intended for anyone in the sector, ranging from students to employees of hospitals, pharma companies, payers and others.
The eight-week certificate programs target topics like digital transformation, drug and medical device development, AI and data science. Each will be available at a different university partner.
Among the nine-month senior executive curricula is one focused on the role of chief medical officer and another on chief nursing officer, some of the most in-demand positions, per Emeritus Healthcare.
“Healthcare executives are being challenged daily to lead their teams and units, to make good business decisions and create healthcare enterprises fit for the changing needs and expectations of their communities, patients and workforce,” Emory Goizueta Business School’s chief corporate learning officer Nicola Barrett said in a press release. The school is committed to continuing to train leaders for this complex work environment, she added.
The next generation of healthcare professionals are dealing with a lot of work demands, echoed Herath, ranging from mitigating burnout to managing employee turnover and overseeing a rapid digital transformation of the sector. Even those already in the field likely need “reskilling,” Herath said. “Talent development is an ongoing process.” Engaging with these programs will help give healthcare organizations an edge in their talent management, he added.
Universities interested in working with Emeritus Healthcare can get in touch, though the company will likely not consider prospective partners in a region in which it already has an established partner, Herath said.
Certificates will cost up to $2,600, while courses will run up to $20,000. Emeritus Healthcare is also exploring developing degrees and custom learning solutions.