Quality Improvement Leadership in Healthcare

This is a team- and project-based learning programme, designed to provide learners with leading edge knowledge and skills in aspects of quality improvement, implementation science, patient safety and enhanced leadership capacity.



Programme learners apply as a multidisciplinary team of three members who commit to engaging in a workplace improvement project.



This programme aims to provide a transformative experience in terms of personal growth and leadership development. Teams are supported by expert faculty to analyse the systems in which they work and to evaluate, integrate and implement theories and methods of quality improvement.

• Teams must consist of three members, all of whom must be working in Irish healthcare setting, whether hospital or community based.



• All three team members must commit to working together for the duration of the programme (12-18 months to include project write up and submission).



• Each team of three will comprise at least one consultant or equivalent senior health and social care professional.



• Teams should be multidisciplinary, for example including:

-Medical Consultant/Medical Specialist

-Chief Executive Officer

-Nursing personnel

-Physiotherapists

-Pharmacists

-Allied Health Professionals

-Operations personnel

-Human Resources personnel

-Communications personnel

-Administration personnel



All team members must:

-be working in the Irish health service.

-have a minimum of 3 years post-graduation experience as an employee in the health service.

-have a minimum Level 8 Honours Degree (Bachelor’s Degree or Higher Diploma).



English language requirements



Minimum language proficiency requirements



Applicants whose first language is not English will be required to provide evidence of the following level of English language proficiency:



Primary Qualification in English



A primary degree (Level 8 or equivalent or above) awarded by a recognised higher education institution where the medium of instruction and assessment was English.



OR



Professional Experience in an English-Speaking Health Setting



Evidence of current or recent employment in a health or clinical setting where English is the primary language of professional communication, documentation, and service delivery and where such employment is subject to English language verification by a state regulator.



Option 1: CV demonstrating you work or have worked in an English environment



Option 2: Official letter on headed paper, signed and stamped by your employer, verifying that you work in an English-speaking setting.



OR



Standardised English Language Test



An IELTS Academic score of 6.5 overall, with no individual band score below 6.0, or an equivalent qualification recognised by the institution.



Equivalent tests may include OET, TOEFL iBT, PTE Academic, or other recognised assessments, benchmarked against IELTS 6.5 using internationally accepted concordance tables.



Where English language testing is used to demonstrate proficiency, results must normally have been obtained within the previous two years.



Team leadership



For teams in a hospital setting, the lead/senior person will be the most suitable team member and dependent on the proposed project, this will include a medical or surgical consultant. Some projects may not require a consultant to be part of the team.



For more information, please read our Admissions Policy.



Recognition of Prior Learning

There is currently no recognition of prior learning for this programme.



You can access the relevant policies and procedures linked below.



Access, Transfer and Progression Policy



Protection of Enrolled Learners



RCPI has procedures in place for the protection of enrolled learners. You can access the information on this through the policy and procedure linked below.

About the application form

The application form is completed online. The application process should involve all three team members though only one will submit on behalf of the team. It is possible to complete the form in stages using the SAVE FOR LATER option.



You will be asked to complete sections about your team member demographics and contact details, your experience of QI and you will be asked to explain your workplace improvement idea and why you feel your team should be selected.

10 months



This programme is delivered using blended learning, which is a flexible way of completing the course that combines online educational materials and opportunities for interaction online with traditional place-based classroom methods and virtual classroom sessions.



The programme is delivered over 10 months and will include approximately 8 full-day in-person sessions, 4 full-day virtual classroom sessions and a series of virtual team calls via zoom.



All in-person sessions will be held in RCPI, No. 6 Kildare Street, Dublin 2.

Induction Virtual 1 hour (1-2 pm) 02 September 2026