IHI charges a modest subscription fee for health professionals who would like to complete the IHI Open School online courses.
The courses are completely free for students, medical residents, university faculty who teach courses, and users from the Least Developed Countries. All other IHI Open School resources – including the Chapter Network – are free for all.
A: Since the launch of the IHI Open School in 2008, the online courses have won an enthusiastic following among students, faculty, and health professionals all over the world. When you purchase a subscription, you’ll immediately gain access to the following:
- Nineteen foundational courses on patient- and family-centered care, quality improvement, patient safety, managing health care operations, and leadership – as well as any new IHI Open School courses added during your subscription period
- Twenty-three and one-half contact hours of continuing education for nurses, physicians, and pharmacists
- The IHI Open School Basic Certificate of Completion, delivered to you instantly upon completion of 16 courses in patient safety, quality improvement, managing healthcare operations, leadership, and patient- and family-centered.
A: We offer two types of subscriptions:
- Individual subscriptions give a single user access to all the IHI Open School courses for 12 months.
- Organization subscriptions give a certain number of users in your organization access to the courses for 12 months. A key contact at your organization can track the following user information:
- Name and title
- Post-lesson assessment scores
- Courses and lessons completed
- Course and lesson start and completion dates
- Ratings and comments
A: See the table below. Please note that pricing for organizational subscriptions depends on the anticipated number of users.
| Individual |
1 |
$250 |
|---|
| Organization |
Up to 50 |
$3,000 |
|---|
| Organization |
51-100 |
$4,500 |
|---|
| Organization |
101-250 |
$7,500 |
|---|
| Organization |
251-500 |
$11,500 |
|---|
| Organization |
501 + |
Contact Us |
|---|
A: Yes. In cases of financial hardship, we provide scholarships to offset the cost of the annual subscription fee. If you would like to apply for scholarship funding, please submit an
application.
A: Yes. The IHI Open School’s
mobile app is available for iPhones and iPads.
A: Yes. The IHI Open School’s Chapter Network is free and open to all. All our
resources that aren’t courses – such as videos, case studies, and monthly calls – are also free.
A. No. The courses are available at no charge to students, residents, university faculty who teach courses, and users from the
Least Developed Countries.
A: Yes. You and your co-workers can purchase an organizational subscription. For groups of at least 13, it’s a cost-effective option relative to purchasing several individual subscriptions. You will want to identify a key contact for your group who will handle payment and have access to user reports.
A: Yes. If you decide to join your organization’s subscription, email
info@ihi.org and we’ll refund the unused portion of your individual subscription.
A: Yes. A key contact at your organization will be able to see what courses and lessons you’ve taken, your start and completion dates for each, your scores on the post-lesson assessments, and your ratings and comments. If you don’t want your organization to be able to see this information, you can purchase an individual subscription for complete privacy.
A: We offer a reporting tool that allows faculty to track the following information about their students:
Name
Post-lesson assessment scores
Courses and lessons completed
Course and lesson start and completion dates
Ratings and comments
This feature is available to academic institutions for a modest fee. The exact price depends on the anticipated number of users, as seen below. If you are interested, please complete the
academic institution application.
| Up to 50 |
$100 |
|---|
| 51-100 |
$200 |
|---|
| 101-250 |
$300 |
|---|
| 251-500 |
$400 |
|---|
| 501 + |
Contact Us |
|---|
A: A Chapter is:
- A face-to-face, interprofessional organizing group on your campus
- A chance to lead like-minded students — and your school as a whole — to change health care for the better
A: Chapters can have various infrastructures:
Typically, Chapters are based on university campuses and include schools of nursing, medicine, health administration, pharmacy, engineering, business, etc. – all in ONE Chapter.
Chapters are usually led by student Chapter Leaders and are supported by Faculty Advisors.
Health care organizations have also started Chapters to provide an informal opportunity to train staff, engage new professionals in improvement, and train students rotating through their organizations.
A: You should join a Chapter because:
- Chapters are unique. They bring students from different health professions programs together through a shared interest in improving care for patients.
- You can use the IHI Open School resources whether or not you are in a Chapter. But Chapters give you a chance to meet and lead like-minded students — to change health care for the better.
Q: What do Chapters do?
A: Review these resources to learn more:
Q: Can health professionals, including residents, use the IHI Open School’s online resources or create an IHI Open School Chapter?
A: The IHI Open School’s online courses are open and free for students of all health care professions. Our other online resources (case studies, videos, etc.) and our Chapter network are open to all. We encourage you to identify local students to participate in 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
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 receive a welcome email that shares different ways you can get started. You can also explore the
online toolkit that includes information on starting a Chapter, a suggested agenda for your Chapter launch meeting, a list of suggested activities for future meetings, and more.
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
- Formal recognition from IHI as a Chapter leader
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:
- 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
A: The IHI Open School offers a basic certificate of completion for users who want formal recognition for their participation. Earning a certificate boosts your own skills — and proves to employers that you’re serious about changing the system for the better.
To receive a basic certificate of completion, you must successfully complete a set of required courses:
- Quality Improvement 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106
- Patient Safety 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106
- Leadership 101
- Patient- and Family-Centered Care 101
- Managing Health Care Operations 101
Once you finish the required courses, please visit the
My Certificates page to generate your printable IHI Open School Basic Certificate of Completion. This page will tell you if you still need to complete courses.
A: The IHI Open School is made possible in part by the contributions of individuals like you. Please consider
supporting us today with a tax-deductible donation.
If you’d like to contribute to the IHI Open School in another way, please contact
openschool@ihi.org. Thank you for your interest!