Q:  Can health professionals, including residents, utilize the IHI Open School’s online resources or create an IHI Open School Chapter?

A:  Yes, it is open and free to all, although the content is targeted to health professions students.  We encourage you to identify local students to participate in a Chapter.

Q:  What will I get if I join a chapter?

A: If you join an existing Chapter, here’s what you can look forward to:

• Boosting your skills in patient safety and quality improvement in health care
• Getting a full or partial scholarship to attend IHI’s annual National Forum, where you’ll network with nearly 7,000 movers and shakers in health care improvement — including 200 students like you (scholarships are available on a first-come first-served basis)
• Putting your knowledge of patient safety and quality improvement to work at local health care organizations
• Accessing IHI Open School’s monthly On Call audio conferences and web-based events featuring the best minds in health care
• Publishing work in peer-reviewed journals and on IHI’s website
• Being among the first to see new courses and content from the IHI Open School — and telling us how they can be better
• Networking and sharing ideas with like-minded students, faculty, and employers

Q:  How do I start an IHI Open School Chapter on my campus?

A:  Your role is to:

• Recruit students and faculty
• Offer events and activities, giving students a chance to learn and network with each other
• Connect with other Chapter leaders to share ideas and success stories
• Advocate for patient safety and quality topics to be included in your formal school curriculum

You won’t be alone out there, though. The IHI Open School will give you extensive support every step of the way. Upon enrolling, you’ll get a great toolkit that includes information on starting a Chapter, a suggested agenda for your Chapter launch meeting (including a DVD titled Improvement Movement), a list of suggested activities for future meetings, and more.

If this sounds like the thing for you, enroll a chapter today!

Q: What will I get if I start a Chapter?

A:  Become a Chapter leader and you’ll get a whole bundle of unique benefits.  You’ll also be at the vanguard of the local movement to improve health care. You’ll get:

• The necessary skills and tools to organize, recruit, advocate, and lead the health care improvement movement at your school
• A full scholarship to attend IHI’s National Forum (limited to one leader per Chapter)
• Formal recognition from IHI as a Chapter leader
• Monthly Chapter Leader Calls and a private, web-based area for sharing ideas and successes with Chapter leaders across the world

Q: What does a Faculty Advisor do?

A:  The role of a Faculty Advisor is to:

• Advocate for the Chapter as an organization officially recognized by the school’s administration. As part of this aim, offer advice about obtaining funding for Chapter activities.
• Identify local opportunities for students to work on patient safety and quality improvement projects and initiatives
• Whenever possible, participate in Chapter meetings — for example, facilitate discussions on videos or case studies
• Assist with planning activities, as needed
• Help the Chapter leader ensure continuity of the Chapter over time (i.e., transfer of Chapter leadership from year to year)

Faculty advisors to IHI Open School Chapters get some nice perks, including the following:

• A 50-percent discount to attend IHI’s National Forum
• Patient safety and quality improvement materials to include in your formal curriculum
• Opportunities to contribute and influence new materials to be posted on the IHI Open School website and used worldwide
• A chance to connect with like-minded faculty

Q:  What is an IHI Certificate of Completion and how do you obtain it?

A:  We are finalizing requirements for IHI certificates. IHI will soon offer three levels of certificates.

To receive certificates, students will be required to successfully complete a combination of beginner, intermediate and advanced courses in topics such as the following:

• Quality Improvement
• Patient Safety
• Patient- and Family-Centered Care
• Teamwork and Communication
• Leadership
• Operations Management

Q:  Are you offering continuing education credits?

A:  We plan to offer continuing education credits for completion of the IHI Open School courses in the near future. Continuing education information will be posted on our website as it becomes available. 

Q:  I would like to contribute to the IHI Open School in some way. How can I help?

A:  We are creating a list of opportunities for others interested in contributing to the IHI Open School for Health Professions and will update the FAQs with this information shortly. In the interim, if you would like to get involved, please contact Jill Duncan (jduncan@ihi.org).