College of Business, health care groups collaborate for training
Impending changes in the health care system require that managers be prepared for creative leadership – and 12 Colorado Springs-area health care managers stand ready.
Collaboration between the UCCS College of Business and health care organizations serving Colorado Springs resulted in a non-degree certificate program specifically designed to train health care professionals new to supervision, management and leadership. Managers from Colorado Springs Health Partners, Centura Health, Memorial Health System and El Paso County Health participated in the program that addressed topics ranging from leadership, managing individuals, working in teams and changing and improving organizations.
Five workshops spread over two months focused on equipping students with the necessary skills to bring out the best in people, teams and organizations and to become future leaders in the health care industry. The program drew instructors from UCCS and the health care industry.
Creation of the program was the culmination of a discussion between UCCS and community health care organizations about providing resources through local expertise and keeping those professional development dollars here in the community, according to Venkat Reddy, dean of the College of Business. University expertise for high-quality learning merged with elimination of travel costs for the participants has proven a win-win combination.
The students graduate today after presenting their final projects to their instructors.
“They will be ready to tackle workplace challenges with fresh perspective and skills to lead their organizations,” said Debbie Chandler, executive vice president and CEO of Colorado Springs Health Partners. “This partnership with UCCS provides customized training to our employees and keeps those dollars in our local economy.”
Said Reddy, “This is exactly the sort of collaboration in which we are able to add value to local businesses. The model can be applied to other industries to help individuals and organizations be more successful. That’s good for our whole community.”