ABOUT SHAPE
This area contains links to a series of pages that will inform you about SHAPE and its activities. Please select from the list below.
Objectives
Strategies and Activities
Life membership
Member Programs
Constitution
Reports and Minutes
2009 Symposium
SHAPE Office Bearers
HISTORY
SHAPE
began in 1985 with a kick-start grant of $300,000 from WK Kellogg. The original
organisational structure was modelled on AUPHA (American University Programs in
Health Administration). The driving force was a perceived need for emerging
programs in health service management to have a forum for the sharing of ideas
in order to foster quality in educational offerings.
Tom Cloher (University of South Australia), was successful in obtaining a three
year grant from the Kellogg Foundation and was instrumental in the development
of SHAPE’s original constitution. At this time SHAPE stood for the “Secretariat
in Health Administration Programs in Education”. Tom was the Executive Director
with a Board of Directors. Among office holders during SHAPE’s early years were
Professor Laurence Malcolm (University of Auckland, New Zealand), Professor
Geoffrey Prideaux (RMIT, Victoria), Mr Colin Grant (University of New South
Wales), Professor Duncan Boldy (Curtin University of Technology, Western
Australia), Professor Jenny Graham (University of Newcastle), Professor Chris
Selby Smith (Monash University), Dr Bob Jamieson (LaTrobe University, Victoria),
Professor Emeritus Nan Kinross (Massey University, New Zealand) and Dr Mary
Harris (University of South Australia).
Once the start-up funds from WK Kellogg had run out, the Secretariat model
proved too expensive for a region with only a few programs dedicated to the
discipline of health service management. Hence, in 1991, the name, structure and
mission of the organisation were changed. Notably, SHAPE became a
Society of Health Administration Programs
in Education with important decisions made at the Annual General Meeting, rather
than by a board of directors. The mission became the promotion of excellence in
health service management education and research in Australia, New Zealand, Asia
and the Pacific through information exchange.
SHAPE
member programs
Characteristically, SHAPE member programs have been relatively small reflecting
the size of their target market and the newness of the discipline of health
service management. In the late 1980s, the Health Service Management Program at
the University of New South Wales was about the only one with a large enough
staff and student body to warrant a ‘School’ of its own. Most other programs
were ‘housed’ within Departments/Schools of management or public health or
health science or nursing. By 2004, the program at the University of New South
Wales had been renamed ‘School of Public Health and Community Medicine’, and
relocated within the Faculty of Medicine.
Largely because of their small size, SHAPE member programs have sometimes found
their program under threat or subject to being moved around as the host
department or faculty or university undergoes restructuring. Health service
management programs with a strong and relatively stable ‘champion’ appear to
have survived these times of turbulence more effectively than those that have,
for one reason or another lacked these attributes. However, times of change and
threat of takeover or program annihilation are very stressful for those
involved. One of the important roles that SHAPE has been able to play is the
provision of support to staff members throughout Australia and New Zealand
involved in stressful and troublesome university maneuverings.
The 1990s saw the emergence of university consortiums and these have had a
marked impact on some of our member programs. In the late 1980s and early 1990s
we had many within university cooperative arrangements but very few
across-university cooperative arrangements.
Student
body and mode of course delivery
Apart for several designated distance education universities, the students of
SHAPE member programs of the late 1980s attended regular on-campus classes, and
were mainly local residents. Academics tended to teach either in the on-campus
mode or by distance education. Teaching in both these modes was rare. By 1999,
the situation was very different with universities marketing their courses
around the globe and providing courses in diverse ways (eg on-campus, via
distance education, in off-shore locations in partnership with local
universities and/or industry, via the internet etc.). As a result, health
service management academics in 1999-2005 were required to be multi-skilled,
able to deliver courses using a range of learning methodologies. In 2008, SHAPE
continues to provide an effective vehicle for the exchange of ideas about
innovation in educational method applied to the delivery of health service
management courses and the professional development of health service managers.
Length of courses
In the late 1980s, most master degrees required two years full time study or 4
years part time study and had a required research component. Graduate diplomas
were 12 months full time or 2 years part time. Today, there is a tendency for
courses to be shorter and for there to be a sharp distinction between research
degrees and course work degrees. Market-forces, and economic considerations
rather than academic considerations appear to be at work. With the advent of
full-fees for postgraduate courses, student ability to pay has become an
important consideration in course design, content and mode of delivery.
Level
of course offerings
In 1988, most SHAPE programs offered courses in health service management at
both the undergraduate and postgraduate level (eg associate diploma, diploma,
bachelor degree, graduate diploma and master degree). Very few programs offered
programs of study at the doctoral level. In 1999, this situation had changed
markedly with many programs only offering postgraduate courses and nearly all
programs offering doctoral level studies. By 2008, this situation had changed
again with a re-emergence of undergraduate courses, particularly with respect to
health information management. Also apparent in 2008 is the emergence of applied
health service management courses for people working in the aged care industry.
Innovation
in course offerings
Competition certainly seems to be fostering some very interesting innovation in
course offerings and methodology among SHAPE member programs. During SHAPE’s
early years, member programs shared information about changing industry needs,
course content, methods of delivery, including action learning and industry
based teaching. Some programs offered short courses on a for-fee basis as well
as their formal academic courses. Today, our programs are offering courses all
over the World particularly the developing World using innovative methods.
Within Australia some programs are offering courses for groups with special
needs using appropriate and new methodologies (e.g., the combined experiential
and course-linked program offered by the Australian College of Health Service
Executives and the University of New England for Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander health service managers).
SHAPE
2009
SHAPE’s role continues to be a forum for information exchange in the interest of
fostering quality in educational offerings among programs offering courses in
health service management. Importantly, in recent years SHAPE has become a forum
for cooperative research activity among member programs and the Australian
College of Health Service Executives. Tangible evidence of this latter activity
has been the joint production of three publications, viz:
1)
The Changing Roles and Careers
of Australian and New Zealand Health Service Managers: a collaborative
workforce study involving members of The Society for Health Administration
Programs in Education (SHAPE),The
Australian College of Health Service Executives (ACHSE) and The New Zealand
Institute of Health Management (NZIHM),
(1998)
2)
Managing Health Service: Concepts and Practice, First Edition (2002);
3) Medicine
Called to Account: Health Complaints Mechanisms In Australasia, First
Edition (2002)
4)
Managing Health Service: Concepts and Practice, Second Edition (2006)
