UCLA Extension Offers Patient Advocacy, Other New Certificates to Meet Demands in Growing Careers in Health Care, Finance

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In its ongoing effort to meet local and national needs for fast-growing careers and changes in business, UCLA Extension today announced it is offering new certificates in patient advocacy, non-profit leadership, credit analysis, transformational leadership in health care and internal auditing.

“UCLA Extension remains one of the most innovative continuing higher education institutions in the country, allowing professionals to further advance in their careers or to quickly establish new ones”

Some of the fastest growing professions are in health care and finance, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Many businesses and organizations are searching for qualified, high-level leaders to assist in implementing change and lead new initiatives, and business owners and entrepreneurs are finding they need additional skills in building their case for expansion and evaluating consumer risk.

“UCLA Extension remains one of the most innovative continuing higher education institutions in the country, allowing professionals to further advance in their careers or to quickly establish new ones,” said Dean Cathy Sandeen. “We continually investigate and review what is needed across many professions and these latest certificate offerings are the result of this comprehensive effort.”

As the country’s population continues to grow and age, there is a corresponding need for more trained health care advocates. The Patient Advocacy certificate offered by UCLA Extension is designed to quickly provide the full range of skills and knowledge required for this emerging field. Patient advocates help individuals and their families navigate through the complex health-care system, sort through medical bills and insurance requirements, advise family members on how to advocate for a sick relative and more. The U.S. Department of Labor projects this field will grow by more than 25 percent over the next five years. Patient advocacy is important to assist patients young and old, with a range of health issues including mental health.

Concurrently, health care institutions are increasingly looking for leaders who can successfully manage current and impending changes in the U.S. health care system. A focused certificate in Transformational Leadership in Health Care – which can be achieved fully online – is designed to provide leaders with specific skills in helping organizations realize their goals for improving patient care, create new service delivery models and to find other solutions in a growingly complex industry.

Change also is impacting non-profits as they must now develop new fund-raising techniques and programs, understand the power of organizational branding and recognize emerging roles for organizations when it comes to advocacy and activism. The new one-year fully online certificate is designed to give non-profit professionals the additional tools and skills needed to improve their organization’s overall performance.

On the financial side, credit analysis is becoming increasingly important as consumers begin to spend again and businesses look to expand. The new Credit Analysis and Management Certificate provides the fundamentals of modern credit analysis for today's business owners and managers as well as implications for better consumer credit management. A limited number of free online information sessions for this certificate will be held, with the first one on Nov. 26.

Each quarter, UCLA Extension routinely offers dozens of new courses and new certificates. Online enrollment for the winter quarter opens Nov. 5. For more information about these and other certificates and continuing education programs, visit www.uclaextension.edu or call [phone].

To access a free expert-led webcast on Transformational Leadership in Health Care, please RSVP here. The webcast airs live on Nov. 14 and remains on Vimeo afterwards.

About UCLA Extension

UCLA Extension is the continuing education division of the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). We offer courses evenings and weekends in Westwood and downtown Los Angeles, plus online classes available around the globe. Courses include business, arts, engineering, information technology, entertainment studies, public policy, public health, the humanities and more. Explore UCLA Extension: uclaextension.edu.