Dr Jen Bichel-Findlay

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Specialising in health services management is critical for health professionals because in the current health reform environment, managers are expected to be conversant with all aspects of management in the healthcare sector. Health services management qualifications allow graduates to apply for a range of positions including nursing unit management, service and unit management, general management, project and program management, and state and federal departmental positions.

It is generally agreed that providing health care under the current format is unsustainable. It is important for people working in the healthcare environment or intending to work in this environment that they appreciate that new theories and models need to be implemented to ensure that services provided continue to be safe, high quality, efficient, cost-effective and consumer focussed. Studying in the area of health services management is so rewarding as it challenges students to look at health services in different ways and also to question why current practices occur and how do they relate to the health outcomes of patients and the community.

In this course students can expect that all health services management subjects require on campus attendance at 4 study days, with the majority of the sessions provided by senior staff currently employed with public, private and non-for-profit healthcare organisations. Activities and relevant selected readings available online keep students engaged in the overall themes of the subjects. The majority of subjects require 3 pieces of assessment, with varied formats, and are generally a case study where the student assumes a management role and is asked to outline their approach to this scenario.

The major benefit of studying at UTS is that we are committed to providing the knowledge to students by the ‘lived experience’ of a range of senior clinicians, planners, policymakers and consumer advocates. Not only are students receiving expertise from these lecturers, they also have the opportunity to engage in robust debate in the classroom about contemporary and challenging issues and ask advice from managers and planners with many years of experience. The curriculum was also reviewed and updated in 2012 to ensure that the content addresses all aspects of the new health reform agenda. Additionally, most subjects have about a quarter or a third of international students from a broad range of countries, and it is so stimulating to ascertain how health service delivery and management can be provided in so many different ways. This international perspective allows Australian students to look at new ways of providing and planning services, and also reveals to the international students how some of our local challenges are overcome.

I have worked in the health sector for 40 years, having worked in a range of clinical, educative, managerial and project roles. My clinical roles were initially in the critical care and emergency medicine areas, but later roles were in mental health services. In the last decade, my roles have focussed on safety and quality of health services and how technology can assist in this area through the discipline of health informatics.

Prior to my appointment at UTS, I was the Manager of the Performance and Outcomes Service at the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards, being responsible for the national clinical indicator program.

I am a Fellow of both the Australian College of Nursing and the Australasian College of Health Informatics, and an Associate Fellow of the Australasian College of Health Service Management. I am also a board member of the Health Informatics Society of Australia and the current chair of the NSW Branch of the Health Informatics Society of Australia. All these organisations provide me with the opportunity to influence and effect positive change in nursing, health informatics and health services management.

Dr Jen Bichel Findlay coordinates the following postgraduate programs:

Master of Health Services Management
Graduate Certificate in Health Services Management