Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

General FAQs

How do I earn and claim the Basic Certificate?

To complete the Basic Certificate Program, you will need to complete the following courses: PS 101-105, QI 101-QI105, PFC 101, TA 101, and L101:

  1. Login at https://education.ihi.org/topclass/
  2. Select "Browse Catalog"
  3. Click the Browse by "Open School" Topic Box
  4. Select "Open School Basic Certificate English"
  5. This will bring up all the courses that are required to gain the Open School Basic Certificate.  Select "Enroll" for a course, It does not matter what order you take the courses in.  
  6. Once you click the enroll button, you will automatically be brought to your learning center.  The course should now be listed underneath the "current" tab of your learning center.
  7. Once you have completed the course, navigate back to Browse Catalog by selecting the magnifying glass from the menu on the left. 
  8. Repeat steps 3 - 7 until all 13 courses are completed. Again, the order you complete the course does not matter.

Claiming your Basic Certificate:

  1. Navigate to the "Completed" tab of your Learning Center
  2. After Completing the 13th course, a 14th item will appear in your completed tab titled "Open School Basic Certificate English". Scroll until you find this and click the "Claim Credits" button. Please note the Basic Certificate may not be the first thing that appears on your completed tab, as it appears below. You may have to scroll to find it. If you do not see this item, please verify that you have completed all 13 courses. (PS 101 - 105, QI 101 - 105, PFC 101, L101, TA 101)
  3. Check the box to select the credit type. Click Submit. A pop-up will appear asking you to confirm your selection.
  4. You will return to your Learning Center.
  5. To find your certificate, visit the Certificate Center. You can find the Certificate Center from the Learning Center by clicking "Print Certificates, view your course history and claimed credits in My IHI" located underneath the completed tab in the Learning Center.  
  6. Once you have navigated to the Certificate Center, scroll down until you find the "Open School Basic Certificate English".  Please note that the name of the certificate changed during the platform upgrade and the "Open School Basic Certificate English" is the same as the "Basic Certificate in Quality and Safety".  
  7. To create a printable/downloadable certificate click on the "Credit Type".
  8. On the following screen, click the button just above your certificate to download a PDF of your certificate. 

Note: Students and residents with a free limited access subscription will only be able to claim a certificate of completion at the end of the Basic Certificate Program. Paid, full-access subscribers will receive a certificate valid for Continuing Education credits and contact hours per course at the completion of the Basic Certificate Program. In order to access these courses you will either need to have student or resident access or be affiliated with a paid subscription. See subscription options for Hospitals and Health Systems, Institutions of Higher Learning, and Individuals.

Access to the IHI Open School for students and residents is available through their participating institution or organization's group subscriptions. It is also available as an individual free-access subscription only to students and medical school residents. Please note that verification of enrollment in school or a program may be required. 


​

FAQs for Paid Subscription Plans

What can I earn from completing courses?

Paid, full-access subscribers will receive an official certificate that indicates having met the required contact hours and is valid for earning continuing education credits or units from a certifying body or institution of higher education.

Where do I put my access code to enroll in courses through my organization's Open School subscription?

  1. Go to education.ihi.org and log in
  2. Once you are logged in, go to “Browse Catalog”
  3. On the top of the right-hand side of the page, you will see a box titled "Enter Access Code". Put your code in that box and press enter. 
    Once you see a green bar on the top of the screen acknowledging your successful input of a valid code, all the Open School courses available to you will say “enroll”
    Note: Please input your access code before attempting to enroll in a course. If you enroll in a course (such as a free sample course) before entering the access code, that course will not appear on your organization's reports. 

  4. After enrolling in a course, return to your Learning Center and click "launch" to begin the course

​

FAQs for Free Subscription Plans

What can I earn from completing courses?

Students and residents with a free, limited-access subscription will only be able to claim a certificate of completion at the end of the Basic Certificate Program. This certificate cannot be used to redeem Continuing Education credits or contact hours.

I am a student or a resident. How do I get access to the Open School?

New user - Create an account:

  1. Create your account at IHI.org
  2. You will then be prompted to provide an email address for your school or institution (it may be different from the email you use as your login username) and your year of graduation or end of your residency.
  3. After creating your account, you may go to ihi.org/onlinecourses. Please note you will have to log out and log back in to access your courses. You will be prompted to log in with your newly created credentials and begin to access the Open School catalog of courses.
Existing Open School user - Update an existing account
  1. Go to My Account
  2. On the "About Me" tab update the Students and Residents section by clicking on the pencil icon
  3. Under "My Details" update Primary Role by clicking the pencil icon
  4. After updating your account, you may go to ihi.org/onlinecourses. Please note you will have to log out and log back in to access your courses.