HCA 591: Master’s Thesis in Health Care Administration | Health Care Homework Help

HCA 591: Master’s Thesis in Health Care Administration

Fall 2019

3 Credits

This course is for Health Care Administration M.S. candidates who are preparing a thesis under the supervision of a faculty member. Students will take this course in their final semester and complete research for and write a master’s thesis on a health-related topic that has been approved by the Health Care Administration graduate program director or by their graduate advisor.

Master’s Thesis should be the result of work that is independently conducted, and that represents original research and critical analysis. The work should demonstrate the following from the student concerning the field of study:

• Awareness and understanding of important current work in the field
• Ability to plan a research activity
• Knowledge and motivation to carry out the planned research activity
• Ability to analyze the results of the research
• Ability to draw reasonable conclusions from the research
• Ability to complete a written description of the work in the form of a well-written, properly organized thesis.
• Ability to complete a thesis with potential for presentation at and/or participation in professional meetings and/or publication in scholarly journals.

 

Faculty Advisor:         Dr. Sankeerth Rampa, MBA, MPH, PhD

Assistant Professor, Health Care Administration

School of Business

211 Alger Hall

Rhode Island College

Office: 401-456-9528

Cell: 216-333-4542

Email: srampa@ric.edu

 

Class Location:           TBA

 

Office Hours:              Tuesday: 4 – 6 pm

Wednesday: 4 – 6 pm

Thursday: Noon – 2 pm

or Appointment by email

In order to successfully complete the HCA Thesis, the following are required.

–          Human subjects’ protection training modules through CITI

–          Master’s thesis proposal outline (no more than two pages)

–          Master’s thesis full proposal (10 – 12 pages)

–          IRB Approval or documentation from the IRB that approval is not required.

–          Master’s thesis (25 – 30 pages) (includes data collection, analysis & study results) –          Master’s thesis presentation

–          Thesis submission https://digitalcommons.ric.edu/thesis_submission.html

 

• CITI PROGRAM:

Human subjects protection training modules through CITI – All students are required to complete the CITI online training (www.citiprogram.org). Certification must be renewed every 5 years. If this is your first time using CITI, register at their website and select Rhode Island College as your affiliation. You will then be able to select the coursework to complete. The required training module must be one of the following from Question 1, as appropriate for the research in this application: (a) Biomedical Research Investigator, (b) Social & Behavioral Research Investigator, (c) IRB Members, (d) Students conducting no more than minimal risk, or (e) Research with data or laboratory specimens only. Access the CITI program here: www.citiprogram.org.

 

• MASTER’S THESIS PROPOSAL OUTLINE (TBA):

 

The Master’s Thesis Proposal Outline should be no more than two pages typed in a font no larger than 12 points and with margins of one inch on all four sides, single spacing is acceptable. References are optional and not included in the two-page limit.

 

COMPONENTS OF THE THESIS PROPOSAL OUTLINE-

 

1. Identify the Research Question.
2. Specific Aims & Hypothesis. This section explains the purpose of the Thesis and succinctly states the Thesis’ hypothesis.
3. Background & Rationale. This section explains why the proposed topic is a question of public health significance.
4. Study Design & Methods. This section describes the target population and how the research will be conducted.
5. Timeline indicating when each of the following will be achieved:
6. Submission of completed Thesis Proposal.
7. IRB approval or documentation from the IRB that approval is not required.
8. Submission of the completed Thesis to Advisor.

Following submission of the Master’s Thesis Proposal Outline, the student will meet

with his/her Master’s Thesis Advisor. The Outline will be reviewed and evaluated to

determine, among other things, if the topic is suitable, the project feasible, and the

research question is valid. The Master’s Thesis Advisor may consult with other faculty

members in making this determination. The student will be notified when the Outline,

or a subsequent resubmission, has been accepted. The student can then proceed to the

next step of completing necessary research, data collection, etc.

 

• MASTER’S THESIS FULL PROPOSAL (TBA):

 

Using the Master’s Thesis Proposal Outline as a starting point, the student writes his/her Thesis Proposal, elaborating on each of the sections of the Outline.

 

The student works with his/her Master’s Thesis Advisor to determine an achievable timeline; the due date for the Thesis Proposal is based on a timeline established upon the acceptance of the Outline. Students are strongly advised to plan ahead, keeping the deadline for completion of the entire Master’s Thesis in mind to ensure completion in time for graduation in the Spring of the following year. Master’s Thesis Proposals are to be submitted to the Master’s Thesis Advisor for review.

 

The version of the Thesis Proposal that is submitted to the Advisor is regarded as the version that is acceptable to the Master’s Thesis Advisor. It is suggested that a student look to his/her Master’s Thesis Advisor for regular supervision. It is up to the student to schedule appointments with his/her Thesis Advisor to keep them informed and updated on the progress being made.

 

The student is reminded that faculty members need a reasonable period of time to review material. Students are strongly advised to build these review times into the creation of their timelines and work closely with their Advisors to make sure they do not fall behind. The length of the Master’s Thesis Proposal will vary with the topic covered; generally, it will be between ten and twelve pages double-spaced in a font no larger than 12 points and with margins of one inch on all four sides. References are required and not included in the overall page length.

COMPONENTS OF THE MASTER’S THESIS PROPOSAL-

 

1. Describe the Research Question. Elaborate on what was presented in the Thesis Proposal Outline. (2 pages)

 

2. Specific Aims & Hypothesis. This section explains the purpose of the Thesis and succinctly states the thesis’ hypothesis. (2 pages)

 

3. Preliminary Background, Literature Search & Rationale. This section explains why the proposed topic is a question of public health significance. (4-5 pages)

 

4. Preliminary Study Design & Methods. This section describes the target population and how the research will be conducted. (2-3 pages) The student is reminded to keep the following in mind: If the thesis consists of epidemiological research, the proposal should contain a preliminary methods section including, but not limited to: the overall study design, target population, sampling methods, interventions (if any) to be carried out, outcomes to be measured, potential confounding variables to be measured or controlled for, operational definitions of variables to be measured, and preliminary data analysis plan. If the method of accruing study subjects is other than straightforward, contingency plans for responding to unexpectedly low recruitment rates should be included as well. If the thesis consists of other types of research, the proposal should contain a description of the methods to be used sufficient to enable a person with expertise in the area to evaluate the suitability of the proposed design and the feasibility of carrying out the research. The level of detail of this section should be analogous to that specified for epidemiological research above.

 

5. Preliminary Timeline indicating when each of the following will be achieved: (1 page)
6. IRB approval or documentation from the IRB that approval is not required.
7. Submission of the completed Thesis to Advisor.

 

• IRB Approval or documentation from the IRB that approval is not required:

 

Submitting Your Protocol – Protocols must be submitted online using the TOPAZ system. Please plan on the reviews taking a minimum of 3 weeks, and plan accordingly. Reviews that require revisions or that require review by the full board will take longer.

 

Access TOPAZ here: https://ric.topazti.net/RIC

RIC IRB information – http://www.ric.edu/irb/Pages/Submitting-an-Application.aspx

 

• MASTER’S THESIS (TBA):

 

Approved Thesis Proposals provide faculty with a sufficient sense of the student’s area of study to permit valuable advisement as the student progresses in his/her research. If a student submits drafts of his/her work, it is reasonable to expect that it may take one month for the student to receive written or verbal comments. Students are strongly advised to build these review times into the creation of their timelines. The length of the Thesis will vary with the topic covered; generally, it will be between twenty-five and thirty pages double-spaced in a font no larger than 12 points and with margins of one inch on all four sides. References are required and not included in the overall page length. Appendices are not included in the overall page length.

 

COMPONENTS OF THE THESIS-

1. Thesis Cover Page
3. Limited to 150 words.
4. Table of Contents.
5. Describe the Research Question. (2 pages)
6. Specific Aims & Hypothesis. This section explains the purpose of the Thesis and succinctly states the thesis’ hypothesis. (2 pages)
7. Background (Literature search) & Rationale. This section explains why the proposed topic is a question of public health significance. This section is for the student to write a critical review of the most pertinent published material that led the student to this thesis topic. (6-8 pages)
8. Study Design & Methods. This section describes the target population and how the research was conducted. (2-3 pages)
9. Description of what was accomplished accompanied with relevant tables and figures. (3-5 pages)
10. Evaluate results and explain their significance. The Results and Discussion sections may be combined. (6-8 pages)
11. Summarize and state the significance of the research findings. (3-5 pages).

 

• MASTER’S THESIS PRESENTATION: (Date: TBA)

The development of your thesis presentation is your first opportunity to showcase your work. Your presentation should be about 20 to 25 minutes long and should concentrate on your findings and recommendations.

 

A sample outline of your presentation might look like this:

• Goal/objectives of the research (2 min).
• Literature review/Research Question/Background (5 min).
• Methodology (5 min).
• Findings (10 min).
• Recommendations (5 min)

 

• MASTER’S THESIS SUBMISSION:

Thesis submission process https://digitalcommons.ric.edu/thesis_submission.html

 

Course Schedule

Note: Course schedule is subject to modification during the semester.

• Week 3: What does a thesis look like- the major components of research and a research proposal.
• Week 4: Selecting a research topic, Narrowing down your topic, The literature search- finding the right literature.
• Week 5, 6:  Research design and methodology, Exploring student theses (look at past student thesis).

 

Rest of semester could be devoted to one on one assistance for individual students with the expectation that by the end of the semester the students have completed their proposal, literature search and have defined their methods and data sources.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Useful sources

The Kaiser Family Foundation www.kff.org

Commonwealth Fund www.cmwf.org

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation www.rwjf.org

The Urban Institute www.urban.org

The Heritage Foundation www.heritage.org

Families USA www.familiesusa.org

Cato Institute www.cato.org/health-care

Center for Studying Health System Change www.hschange.org

AcademyHealth www.academyhealth.org

Public Health Foundation www.phf.org

Public Health Research Institute www.phri.org

National Academy for State Health Policy www.nashp.org

Peer-Reviewed Journals/Newspapers/Trade Magazines

Health Affairs

JAMA

NEJM

American Journal of Public Health

Healthcare Management Review

Medical Care

Medical Care Research and Review

Journal of Health and Social Behavior

Health Services Research

Medical Care

Medical Care Research and Review

New York Times

Wall Street Journal

Washington Post

Healthcare Executive

Hospitals and Health Networks