Leadership in Elderly Care
Module Description
The aim of this module is to provide students with the key management and leadership skills that help build, lead and support a high-quality team.
Students will be able to adapt management style and practices to evaluate and mobilise their workforce.
They will also develop a greater understanding of their own leadership styles and how it can affect the opportunity to empower, modernise and improve the current workforce to organisational success.
In addition, the module provides a current in-depth knowledge surrounding communication and conflict management, ethics, emotional intelligence and diversity related challenges in today’s elderly care organisations.
Entry Requirements
Candidates who apply for this course must possess one of the following:
- a Level 6 degree in a related field;
OR
- a Level 5 diploma or higher diploma and 5 years’ work experience in a supervisory or managerial role.
Preference is given to applicants having a Level 6 degree in a discipline related elderly care and a minimum of 3 years’ work experience in management within the sector.
Target Audience
The target group covers, but is not limited to:
- Care Home Managers and Directors
- Personnel involved in the administration of care to the elderly
- Educators
- Welfare Officers
- Human Resources and Operations Managers involved in the administration of care for the elderly
- Middle Management (such as. senior care workers etc.)
- Personnel involved in family counselling and counselling of the elderly
- Nurses
- Medical Doctors
- Allied health professionals, such as physiotherapists, dieticians etc.
Module / Unit Instructions
The proposed structure comprises a blended approach promoting the building of a community of practice via peer-to-peer learning. The structure uses primarily two dimensions of teaching-learning modes:
1. Face-to-face sessions: 18 hours
2. Online Learning Activities: 12 hours
Face to Face sessions
Face-to-face sessions include lectures, tutorials, discussions, presentations and workshop activities promoting peer-to-peer learning.
Online Learning Activities
Online learning activities incorporate tutorials and asynchronous discussions. These may consist of active interaction, participation and contributions in fora discussions, sharing resources and self-reflection exercises.
Learners also contribute to the building of the community of practice by providing feedback to their peers as critical friends, enhancing the learner’s critical engagement throughout the study period.
The tutor provides continual support during both teaching -learning modes by providing information, readings and tasks relevant to the module in question.
The tutor provides continuous formative feedback as an on-going guidance during the student’s learning experience in preparation for their summative assessment.
How you’ll be assessed
Assessment of each module consists of two assignments, each carrying a weighting as below:
a) One Formative assignment carries 20% of total module mark achieved. b) One Summative assignment carries 80% of total module mark achieved.
For successful completion of a study module the student is required to achieve a minimum of 41% pass mark in both the formative and the summative assignment.
The overall grade achieved for each module is calculated as the sum of: · 20% of the mark achieved for formative assignment; and · 80% of the mark achieved for the summative assignment.
All assignment tasks of both formative and summative assessment aim to provide the learner an opportunity to produce evidence of his/her competences aligned to the learning outcomes of each individual Module.
Assessment
a) Formative assessment tasks are provided in the form of structured online discussions that support learners in their development throughout all of the modules studied.
Such discussions are facilitated and monitored by lecturer who provides students with constructive feedback to help them improve and prepare for summative assignment and dissertation.
For successful completion of a study module the student is required to achieve a minimum of 41% pass mark in the formative assignment.
b) Summative assessment is done via one assignment at the end of each module. The mode of assessment varies and may include in-class assignments, and home-based written assignments.
The recommended assessment tool for this module is an essay title or case studies based on relevant real-life scenarios.
Word count range: 3000 ± 10% For successful completion of a study module the student is required to achieve a minimum of 41% pass mark in summative assignment.
Formative assessment tasks will contribute to the student’s final mark to acknowledge their work and give chance to improve.
This method allows students to also contribute to the building of the community of practice by providing feedback to their peers as critical friends, enhancing the learner’s critical engagement throughout the study period.
Module Intake Dates
October 2024
Additional Info
Reading for the entire Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Elderly Care Management as presented in this brochure costs €8,775.*
Upon successfully completing the course, you will be able to get 70% of the course fees back through the Get Qualified scheme.**
Due to the modular structure of the course, you may also opt to take individual modules as stand-alone. The entry requirements still apply.***
*Prices are applicable to students who reside in Malta at the time of applying.
**Terms and conditions apply.
*** For the price of individual modules, please contact the IDEA Academy team.
Learning Outcomes
Competences: – at the end of the module/unit the learner will have acquired the responsibility and autonomy to:
- Critically analyse and communicate information on complex contemporary issues in elderly care management and leadership to specialist and non-specialist
audiences. - Use both managerial as well as leadership theoretical concepts to manage elderly care organisation.
- Critically assess and apply the necessary steps to resolve conflicts within elderly care organisation setting.
- Critically evaluate the implication of cultural diversity on management of elderly care organisation.
- Critically assess the implications of evolving ethical issues in elderly care organisations.
- Manage debate and dialogue both with specialists and non-specialists to critically analyse and evaluate the steps the leadership can take to increase
employee effectiveness. - Critically assess the importance of Emotional Intelligence concept in leading others and oneself.
Knowledge: – at the end of the module/unit the learner will have been exposed to the following:
Leadership in Healthcare and Elderly Care Organisations
- The Leadership Imperative
- A review of Academic Leadership Theories and Concepts
- Ethics and Integrity
Personal and Team Values
- Interpersonal Connection and Servant Leadership
- Managing and evaluating own values and leadership style
- Assessing Team Values
Managing and Leading Teams
- Tuckman’s model of team development
- Managing conflicts
- Evaluating team effectiveness
The Need for Leaders and Influencers
- Communication and Persuasion Skills for Leaders
- Building ‘Patient Friendly’ Teams
- Managing Diversity
Introduction to the Coaching and Mentoring Styles
- Emotional Intelligence and Empathy and their role in collaboration and sharing
- Active listening and open questions in coaching and mentoring process
- Coaching and Mentoring techniques to take employees’ skills to the next level
Leadership and Ethical Issues in Elderly Care
- Ethical health-care related issues
- Leadership ethical issues
- Improving ethical decision making in elderly care leadership
Skills:
At the end of the module/unit the learner will have acquired the following skills:
- Develop management skills and practices that create high quality teams and resolve conflicts.
- Critically apply effective communication and influencing skills through clear and effective communication with residents, relatives and staff.
- Critically analyse and prepare the plan to resolve issues affecting the needs of residents.
- Coach and motivate team members to deliver high quality professional care which meets the changing needs of residents.
- Develop skills in emotional intelligence as tool for effective leadership.
- Empower staff and increase their sense of responsibility and accountability by applying relevant coaching and mentoring techniques.
Judgment Skills and Critical Abilities:
The learner will be able to:
- Master problem- solving skills by analysing case studies and working out the issues presented in real life situations.
- Evaluate and critically appropriate to discipline being studied.
- Collect, analyse and interpret data/information to support arguments, and to develop and apply ideas.
Module-Specific Communication Skills:
The learner will be able to:
- Communicates ideas, problems, and solutions to both specialist and non-specialist audiences using a range of techniques involving qualitative and quantitative information to sustain arguments.
Module-Specific Learner Skills:
- Undertake independent and self-directed study through researched literature reviews.
Module-Specific Digital Skills and Competences:
The learner will be able to:
- Navigate through the online learning platform to find assignments, discussion boards, literature, tutorials etc.