Consumer Health Advocacy, Capstone Certificate

Program Overview

The Consumer Health Advocacy Capstone Certificate program prepares individuals to advocate for those facing healthcare barriers. It offers two paths: patient-level or system/policy-level advocacy. The program emphasizes hands-on experience through its Patient Advocacy Clinic and can be completed online or in a blended format. Students develop critical advocacy competencies, including communication, cultural humility, and ethics, and gain familiarity with the US healthcare system and systemic issues requiring advocacy.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

• The Consumer Health Advocacy Capstone Certificate program intends to prepare learners in advocating for individuals who face barriers in accessing healthcare.
• The program is designed for those looking to guide their families in healthcare needs, change or advance their careers, gain experience before enrolling in graduate or professional programs, or explore their next steps in healthcare advocacy.
• The program provides two paths: patient-level advocacy or health advocacy at the system/policy level.
• The program places emphasis on hands-on experience through their Patient Advocacy Clinic, the only certificate program in the nation that offers this experience.
• Students can complete the program entirely online (other than a two-day in-person orientation) or through a blended format (online and in-person).

Outline:

• Foundation Courses (12 credits):
• Law and Contemporary Problems (Introduction to Health Advocacy) (3 credits)
• Consumer Health Advocacy and Patient-Centered Care Clinical (Intro) (3 credits)
• Consumer Health Advocacy and Patient-Centered Care Clinical (Advanced) (3 credits)
• Law and Contemporary Problems (Models of System Level Advocacy) (3 credits)
• Learning Outcomes:
• Students will develop advocacy capacity that emphasizes patient empowerment.
• Students will develop critical health advocacy competencies, including communication, collaborative decision-making, cultural humility, and ethics.
• Students will experience advocacy from a case-based perspective and learn how key advocacy roles can be used in specific situations.
• Students will gain familiarity with the United States healthcare delivery system and systemic issues that necessitate advocacy at individual, organizational, and policy levels.

Assessment:

• Students must earn a minimum grade of C in each course.
• Courses taken as pass/fail or audit will not count toward the certificate's requirements.
• All credits must be earned "in residence" at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.