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My Digital Unacademy - a personal journey of learning and development in clinical informatics

 My Digital Unacademy

In early November last year (2019) I received an ‘unfavourable response’ to my application to Cohort 3 of the prestigious NHS Digital Academy (Postgraduate Diploma in Digital Health Leadership).



Although receipt of this news initially left me feeling dejected, in the spirit of wanting to bounce back I set out on a journey of development and learning through the following steps of My Digital Unacademy.

! The ‘steps’ covered through this write-up, are an expression and reflection of my opinions based on  my personal knowledge, attitudes, preferences, experience and circumstances i.e. what I felt worked for me.!

Also, for the record; other than being a ‘clinical informatician’ working for the NHS, being a Member of the Faculty of Clinical Informatics (FCI) and as a current student with HFMA – an HFMA member, I have no conflicts of interest to declare -the resources mentioned in this write up are simply the ones that have resonated with me on a personal note during my learning journey.

Ps. I meant to complete this write up a few months ago with a lot more reflection, but thanks to COVID this is the best I could do for now.

Step 1 – Getting started: Asking for advice and guidance

Twitter was a good starter for 10; there are loads of kind and experienced people who offered great advice and guidance.


Step 2 - Fact finding: What do I need to know?  

I studied the overviews for the six NHS Digital Academy (NHDA) modules from the NHSDA application booklet, and identified key themes from each module.



I also reviewed the following competency frameworks –

·         AHIEC HI Scope Careers and Competencies V1-9

·         CHIA-competencies-Framework_FINAL.pdf (healthinformaticscertification.com)

·         EHealth_Competency_Framework_0611.pdf (aomrc.org.uk)

·         Digital_career_framework_for_nurses_and_AHPs_sep2018.pdf (improvement.nhs.uk)

·         Health informatics competencies in postgraduate medical education and training in the UK: a mixed methods study Jidkov L, Alexander M,Bark P, et al. Health informatics competencies in postgraduate medical education and training in the UK: a mixed methods study. BMJ Open 2019;9:e025460. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2018-025460. e025460.full.pdf (bmj.com)

!It is important to note that the UK Faculty of Clinical Informatics Competency framework – phase 1 was completed in early December 2019. The framework is now complete and this is a brilliant resource for all clinical informaticians to use Framework Introduction & Reports | Faculty Of Clinical Informatics.!

 Step 2 – Reflection: What do I already know, and what do I need to learn?

I reflected on my experience, skills and knowledge to identify areas of existing knowledge, gaps and areas for improvement.


Step 3 – Searching: What resources are out there?  

Name

CMI Level 7 – Digital Leadership Programme

Award

CMI Level 7 Certificate in Strategic Leadership & Management

Modules

-Digital Transformation – understanding the digital environment

-Digital Leadership - becoming a digital leader

-Digital Strategy & Implementation

Location

Online/London/Manchester

Duration

3 days + assignments

Fees

£2250 + VAT

Link

https://inpd.co.uk/course/cmi-level-7-digital-leadership-programme/


Name

University of Northampton

Award

PGCert

Modules

-Digital pedagogies & approaches to embedding technologies

-Leading professional development & evaluating impact

Location

online learning

Duration

1yr

Fees

£2,490

Link

https://www.northampton.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate-certificate-in-digital-leadership/


Name

Cornell Digital Leadership

Award

 Digital Leadership Certificate

Modules

-Preparing for Digital Transformation

-Creating Advantage Through Entrepreneurial Thinking

-Disruptive Technology Elective

-Systems Thinking Elective

-Leading Through Disruption Elective

-Analytics Elective

Location

online learning

Duration

2 months

Fees

$3600

Link

https://www.ecornell.com/certificates/technology/digital-leadership/


Name

Warwick University (Warwick Business School)

Award

PGDip

Modules

-Platform Strategy

-Business Impacts of Artificial Intelligence

-Business Analytics for Executives

-Leading Digital Transformation

Location

London

Duration

4x4d (1 yr)

Fees

£18000 (upto 50% scholarship)

Link

https://www.wbs.ac.uk/executive-education/executive-diplomas/diploma-in-digital-leadership/structure/


Name

Cranfield IT & Digital Leadership Programme

Award

unclear

Modules

-Creating value from IT and digital

-Cultivating relationships

-Transformational digital change

Location

Cranfield

Duration

4 months/ 3.5 days + 3 days + 2 days, residential

Fees

£9,290 + VAT

Link

https://www.cranfield.ac.uk/som/open-executive-programmes/leadership/cranfield-it-and-digital-leadership-programme


I also reviewed the following leadership programmes –

·         Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Programme: NHS Leadership Academy Award in Senior Healthcare Leadership,  MSc in Healthcare Leadership (Birmingham & Manchester University)

·         Rosalind Franklin Programme: Leadership Academy Award in Senior Healthcare Leadership

·         Mary Seacole Programme: NHS Leadership Academy Award in Healthcare Leadership

(NHS Leadership Programmes at a glance: NHS-Programme-2020.pdf (leadershipacademy.nhs.uk))

·         Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management (FMLM): Tomorrow's Strategic Leader programme (Associate Fellowship of FMLM), Tomorrow's Strategic Leader | Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management (fmlm.ac.uk)

Another useful resource reviewed was Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) qualifications (Explore our Qualifications (hfma.org.uk)), in particular the HFMA advanced certificates -

·         Tools to support decision-making

·         Personal effectiveness and leadership

·         Creating and delivering value in UK healthcare

In early 2020 I was successful in applying to HFMA for the Advanced Certificate – Tools to support decision-making, but with the early uncertainties arising with the COVID pandemic and its potential impact on clinical and informatics work I withdrew from the programme.

To MOOC or not to MOOC.   

Prior to November 2019, other than online exam revision courses and eLFH (e-LfH Hub (e-lfh.org.uk)) I had very limited experience of using MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) and other similar online learning resources, so I relied on the wisdom and experience of the many others before me via online searches and I reviewed many a fascinating commentaries relating to MOOCS.

(Coursera, edX and FutureLearn were the three resources that I used to search for relevant learning content)

It goes without saying that the Digital Health Network’s discourse/discussion forums (Digital Health Networks - The largest online community for Digital Health), webinars, as well as UKFCI webinars (Webinars | Faculty Of Clinical Informatics) provide a wealth of information with so much to learn from the experiences and knowledge of colleagues.

National events that I have enjoyed and benefited from previously and was keen to continue with included Digital Health Summer School, Rewired and the Digital Leadership summit.

Social media; the amount that can be learnt by using social media is phenomenal! It wouldn’t be appropriate to list here the organisations and personalities who I follow on Twitter; but based on experience I can state for sure that judicious doses of social media as a source for learning can’t be stressed enough.

Last but not least, the value of learning from work based experience and from learning with and from colleagues is invaluable and imperative.

Step 4 – Planning: decisions to be made

Having completed Step 1 to 3, I weighed up my options, and decided that a MOOC route supplemented by digital online networks, conference/webinar attendance, and work based experience would be my course of travel for My Digital Unacademy.

Step 5 – The plan: create a package of learning

Course

Provider

Platform

Themes

1

Health Informatics: A Current and Historical Perspective

Georgia TechX

edX

https://prod-edxapp.edx-cdn.org/assets/courseware/v1/e56884044e9951d6d6a509e3dfee8b75/asset-v1:GTx+HI2018xI+1T2019+type@asset+block/64401_Syllabus.pdf


2

Health Informatics and Technology in Decision Making

DoaneX

edX

https://prod-edxapp.edx-cdn.org/assets/courseware/v1/c0f2ffae231b72f351f039d72e642f77/asset-v1:DoaneX+HCA-604x+2T2018+type@asset+block/HCA_604_Syllabus2.pdf


3

Digital skills: User Experience

Accenture

Futurelearn

Week 1: Why is user experience important? (The foundations of UX design / What is ‘good usability’?)

Week 2: User experience basics (The importance of user research/ User journeys/ Visual design/ Structuring your site/Wireframes and interactive prototypes)

Week 3: Tools and testing  (Types of user testing / Interaction design/ The importance of analysing data)


4

MedTech: Digital Health and Wearable Technology

University of Leeds

Futurelearn

Week 1: What is digital medicine? /Who are the stakeholders? / What are the opportunities and challenges?

Week 2: Sensors and wearables in digital medicine / The Future of Wearables/ Big data in digital medicine

5

MedTech: Trends and Product Design

University of Leeds

Futurelearn

History of MedTech and how MedTech products have been developed/The forces driving innovation in the MedTech sector/Challenges for MedTech products to overcome/How do we make sure MedTech products are safe?/Establishing a patient and clinical need for a product/ Designing products with regulations in mind/ Bringing a product to market

6

Leading Change in Health Informatics

Johns Hopkins University

Coursera

Week 1: Leading Change in Health Informatics Week

Week 2 : Project Management for Health Informaticists

Week 3 : Strategic Planning in Health IT

Week 4: Change Management


7

AI for Healthcare: Equipping the Workforce for Digital Transformation

University of Manchester

Futurelearn

Week 1: Introduction to the wider context of the challenges and opportunities impacting on Healthcare as outlined in the Topol Report

Week 2: New and upcoming technological developments and their ethical, social, and legal implications

Week 3: Wider patient pathway focusing on specific cases and datasets from different areas such as Nursing, Radiography and Deep Learning /Cancer

Week 4: Challenges of governance, ‘team science’ and interdisciplinary working, data quality in the NHS

Week 5: Practice-based case studies illustrating where the skills gaps have been addressed


8

Influencing People

University of Michigan

Coursera

Week 1:Building Your Base of Power

Week 2: Influencing People Without Relying on Formal Authority

Week 3: Developing High‐Quality Relationships to Enhance Influence and Power

Week 4: Protect Yourself from Unwanted Influence


9

Leading Teams

University of Michigan

Coursera

Week 1: Designing Your Team for Excellence

Week 2: Structuring Your Team for Excellence

Week 3: Managing Team Dynamics

Week 4: Creating Sustainable Team Performance and Learning


10

Interprofessional Healthcare Informatics

University of Minnesota

Coursera

Week 1: Informatics Theory

Week 2: Data, Information and Knowledge

Week 3: EHR components and Evidence based practice

Week 4: Quality improvement, workflow design and redesign

Week 5: Telehealth, consumer health, mobile health

Week 6: Community and population health

Week 7: Informatics, gaming and simulation

Week 8: Informatics and ethics

Week 9: Data exchange and interoperability

Week 10: Informatics and the foundation of knowledge


11

Digital skills: Artificial Intelligence

Accenture

Futurelearn

Week 1: Introduction to Artificial Intelligence

Week 2: Artificial Intelligence in Industry

Week 3: Adapting your skills to work with Artificial Intelligence


12

Inspiring and Motivating Individuals

University of Michigan

Coursera

Week 1: Becoming a Visionary Leader

Week 2: Setting Effective Goals and Expectations

Week 3: Understanding Human Needs and Drivers of Performance Across Cultures

Week 4: Aligning Rewards and Behaviour


13

Using clinical health data for better healthcare

University of Sydney

Coursera

Week 1: An introduction to digital health

Week 2: The data life cycle and stakeholder roles

Week 3: Interpret health data - turn information into new insights

Week 4: Share and integrate data into practice


14

Design Thinking for Innovation

University of Virginia

Coursera

Week 1: What is design thinking?

Week 2: Preparing Your Mind for Innovation

Week 3: Idea Generation

Week 4: Experimentation

15

Foundation Training- Clinical Risk Management

NHS Digital

NHS Digital

17

The Outcomes and Interventions of Health Informatics

Johns Hopkins University

Coursera

Week 1: Knowing Where to Intervene

Week 2: Defining Decision Support

Week 3: Using Transactional and Summative Data and Knowledge for Decision Support

Week 4: Eliciting and Creating Knowledge for Decision Support


18

CMI Level 7 Digital Leadership Programme, In Professional Development

 INPD & Chartered Management Institute (CMI)

INPD

Day 1: Introduction to digital transformation/Drivers, roadmaps and risks/ Emerging tech and Hype

Day 2: Readiness and a digital mindset/Digital culture/Digital buy in/ Digital Teams

Day 3: Digital strategy and implementation

 

Webinars and Events attended



Work based projects

  • In-house developed COVID app for clinical teams to record information relating to patient’s ongoing care and follow up which was the Highly Commended Runners up for the award category of User-led innovation award at Health Tech Newspaper (HTN) Awards, September 2020 (User-led Innovation and Experience on Vimeo)
  • COVID 19 intelligence dashboards
  • Draft Health Intelligence Strategy

Next steps for My Digital Unacademy

·         Carry on with the same attitude and appetite of continuous learning and development, apply learning in practice and share experiences with colleagues.

·         HFMA Advanced Certificate, Personal effectiveness and leadership (commenced 20/01/21)

·         The Reciprocal Mentoring for Inclusion programme (Reciprocal Mentoring for Inclusion programme – Leadership Academy), my Trust has been shortlisted to embark on this 18 month programme, due to commence later this year.

·         HFMA Bite sized courses (Bitesize Courses (hfma.org.uk)), in particular –

 

Title

Cost (+VAT)

Level

Duration (hrs)

Free for NHS

Theme

1

Ethical and professional considerations

£150

Advanced

10

Y

Ethics

2

Service transformation and governance

£150

Advanced

10

N

Governance

3

Politics, policy and financial challenges

£120

Intermediate

6

Y

Governance

4

Integration in healthcare

£120

Intermediate

6

Y

Governance

5

Primary sources of comparative data

£150

Advanced

10

N

Information Management

6

Compiling and presenting information

£150

Advanced

10

N

Information Management

7

Information systems in decision-making

£150

Advanced

10

Y

Information Management

8

Negotiating and managing relationships

£150

Advanced

10

N

Leadership

9

Motivation and relationship management

£120

Intermediate

6

Y

Leadership

10

Managing, motivating and leading teams

£150

Advanced

10

Y

Leadership

11

Board-level decision-making

£150

Advanced

10

Y

Leadership

12

Change management

£120

Intermediate

6

Y

QI

13

Performance indicators and benchmarking

£150

Advanced

10

N

QI


Take home messages -

 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Useful links –

NHS Digital Academy

Competency frameworks

Courses

Digital Health Networks

UKFCI links

NHS Leadership Academy

Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management

·         Tomorrow's Strategic Leader | Faculty of Medical Leadership and Management (fmlm.ac.uk)

Healthcare Finance and Management Association (HFMA)

·         Explore our Qualifications (hfma.org.uk)

o    Tools to support decision-making

o    Personal effectiveness and leadership

o    Creating and delivering value in UK healthcare

Health Tech Newspaper Awards 2020

Comments

  1. Oh my gosh, this is *so* inspiring! Your dedication and motivation are astounding - well done and good luck with your career. You could have taken the setback of not getting on cohort 3 badly but you've used it to drive you to an intense learning journey. With this sort of dedication and resourcefulness, the future of Digital Health is in good hands! Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the kind words of encouragement.
      I believe the NHS Digital Academy is a fantastic initiative and do hope it continues.
      The purpose of the write up was to share an alternative journey of personal learning relating to the clinical informatics :)
      the key message is - Never stop learning :)

      Delete
  2. This is great advice and i will definitely look at how i can progress academically but in my own time as i have limited hours as a CCIO. Thank you for sharing this. Would be great to catch up with you sometime for a chat!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Sharon,
      Thanks for the feedback.
      Do let me know if you would like a chat (dr.samra@nhs.net).

      Delete

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