Professional Diploma in Healthcare Leadership

Lead with confidence. Shape the future of healthcare.

8 months

100% online

48 CPD credits

Awarded by RCPI

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Next Start Date:

7 April 2026

CLOSING MARCH 25TH

Duration: 8 months

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Programme Overview

Why Study with RCPI?

What Will You Learn?

Entry Requirements

Fees

FAQ

Programme Overview

Healthcare today demands leaders who can communicate clearly, guide teams, improve systems and deliver safe, high-quality care to patients. This fully online, eight-month professional diploma equips clinicians and healthcare professionals with the leadership, operational and quality improvement skills needed to influence meaningful system-level change.

Why Study with RCPI? 

Globally Recognised Qualification

For over 350 years, the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland has set the benchmark for medical education and professional standards. Our qualifications are recognised worldwide as a mark of clinical excellence and academic rigour, trusted by healthcare professionals and institutions across the globe.

Designed for Healthcare Leaders

Created by senior clinicians and system leaders, the programme is tailored to the realities of modern healthcare: multidisciplinary teams, resource constraints, safety culture, high-quality care to patients, digital transitions and operational complexity.

Delivered in Partnership with Hibernia College

Hibernia College brings 25 years of expertise in accredited online learning, offering a flexible, engaging and interactive virtual learning environment.

Guided by Dedicated RCPI-Affiliated Tutors

Each learner is supported by a dedicated RCPI-affiliated tutor, offering individual guidance, feedback and mentorship throughout the programme.

Real-World Impact

Learners will complete activities to apply their new knowledge to deliver measurable improvement within their own healthcare setting.

Professor Liam Plant

Programme Lead, RCPI

This collaboration reflects our commitment to advancing healthcare education in Ireland and beyond. In partnering with Hibernia College, we are creating a powerful platform for professional development at the forefront of innovative digital learning to improve health.

What will you learn?

Module 1
Foundations of Healthcare Leadership
Module 2
Healthcare Operations and Quality Improvement
Module 3
Leadership and Resource Management in Practice

Foundations of Healthcare Leadership

Effective healthcare leaders are those who can adapt, listen and lead through uncertainty. This module moves beyond fixed leadership models to introduce contemporary, evidence-informed
theories suited to complex teams, shifting expectations and unpredictable system pressures. Using real-world scenarios and reflective inquiry, learners will examine the interplay between authority, influence and followership; explore the ethical dimensions of clinical decision-making; and analyse the contextual, relational and cognitive factors that shape leadership behaviour.
The module supports learners to develop the insight, skill and adaptability to lead with clarity, empathy and ethical integrity in dynamic healthcare environments.

What You’ll Learn:

Discuss and critically evaluate key leadership and followership theories and their relevance to clinical, team-based and organisational contexts.
Demonstrate effective relational communication strategies, including feedback, conflict navigation, and supporting psychological safety and team performance in high-pressure
healthcare environments.
Analyse team leadership dynamics and interdependence, applying principles of adaptive and complexity-informed leadership to navigate uncertainty, distributed authority and emergent
change.
Evaluate ethical principles and decision-making frameworks, applying them to complex healthcare scenarios where competing values and responsibilities must be balanced.
Reflect on personal values, positionality and cognitive bias, and analyse how these influence leadership behaviours, team interactions and decision-making.

Healthcare Operations and Quality Improvement

Efficient operations and steady improvement are the backbone of safe, sustainable care. This module explores the day-to-day workings of healthcare organisations through the lens of quality improvement and patient safety. It offers a practical introduction to the core ideas and tools behind quality improvement methodologies. Learners will be empowered to spot opportunities, run targeted improvement cycles and know when to enlist specialist support. Sessions on governance, informatics, risk and supply logistics will demonstrate how disciplined operations reduce delays, cut waste and strengthen patients’ experiences.

What You’ll Learn:

Describe the structure of healthcare systems and identify policy implications.
Discuss how to apply quality improvement methodologies in their practice.
Develop risk management and patient safety strategies.
Evaluate health informatics tools to make data-driven decisions.
Manage financial resources and supply chains within healthcare settings and discuss
strategies for climate action in health.
Appraise project management techniques as they apply to healthcare environments
Analyse change management processes to enhance operational efficiency.
Discuss case studies to draw insights for best practices in healthcare operations.

Leadership and Resource Management in Practice

Strategic foresight and sound financial management sustain high-quality, equitable care in a sector where demand, technology and policy constantly shift. This module develops the skills needed to look beyond the next reporting cycle and to plan, prioritise and lead with a systems
perspective. Learners will interpret budgets, activity data and cost-benefit analyses to support decisions that
optimise value, reduce waste and improve outcomes. They will explore how systemic factors, including resource allocation, digital access and service design, can exacerbate or reduce health
inequalities. Innovation is evident throughout this module: case examples explore electronic prescribing,
digital therapeutics and AI-enabled diagnostics, examining how each alters cost structures and risk profiles. Governance, ethics and stakeholder engagement are addressed as core enablers of inclusive, accountable leadership.

What You’ll Learn:

Create and implement strategic plans for healthcare organisations.
Interpret financial data relevant to healthcare settings.
Conduct cost-benefit analyses and manage resource utilisation.
Examine economic drivers affecting healthcare policy.
Engage stakeholders effectively to enhance organisational performance
Evaluate technological advancements to design and implement innovative solutions in healthcare practice.
Demonstrate ability to consider ethical issues in management decisions.

Who will support you? 

Professor Trevor Duffy
Director of Healthcare Leadership
Professor Trevor Duffy is Director of Healthcare Leadership at RCPI, a Consultant Rheumatologist at Connolly Hospital and the Hermitage Clinic, and an Honorary Clinical Associate Professor at RCSI with extensive leadership experience including roles as Lead Clinical Director, IMO President, and UEMS delegate.
Professor Liam Plant
Programme Lead
Professor Liam Plant is an Adjunct Clinical Professor at UCC, a long-serving renal physician with major clinical, academic, and national leadership roles, including Director of the HSE National Renal Office, Vice-Dean at UCC, and President and current Chair of the Irish Nephrology Society.
Professor Aine Carroll
Lead for Module 1
Professor Áine Carroll is a leading expert in healthcare leadership and integrated care, serving as Professor at UCD, Consultant at the National Rehabilitation Hospital, and Chair of IFIC Ireland, with major national roles in system reform, clinical strategy, and digital transformation.
Professor J Conor O’Keane
Lead for Module 2
Professor Conor O’Keane is a Consultant Histopathologist at the Mater Private Hospital and Clinical Professor at UCD, with a long career in pathology and major leadership roles in quality and safety, as well as extensive RCPI and national contributions to clinical audit and improvement.
Professor Makani Purva
Lead for Module 3
Professor Makani Purva is a senior UK clinician and former NHS Chief Medical Officer with extensive experience in anaesthesia, clinical and corporate governance, service turnaround, workforce culture change, and system redesign, and is an internationally recognised leader in simulation and clinical leadership development.

Course Benefits

A globally respected RCPI qualification
Delivered on Hibernia College’s award-winning digital platform
Practical, workplace-focused learning
Flexible structure designed for busy professionals
48 CPD credits
1-hour tutorial per week
Builds readiness for leadership and management roles

“Healthcare is one of the most complex systems in society, yet we often try to lead it as if it were simple. This programme is grounded in complexity science and the lived realities of practice, preparing participants for leadership in an uncertain and changing system.”

— Professor Áine Carroll, RCPI

“Professional Diploma in”

Professional Diploma in Healthcare
Leadership

No application fee

Payment Options: Upfront payments get 10% discount
RCPI members and fellows: 10% discount
(One discount can be applied per applicant.)

Instalment plan
Deposit: €1,000 on acceptance
Instalment 1: €1,000 due at the start of Module 1
Instalment 2: €1,000 due at the start of Module 2
Instalment 3: €1,000 due at the start of Module 3

€4,000

Total tuition fees

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Entry Requirements

Category	Requirement
Professional or Academic	Professional Registered doctor, nurse or health and social care/allied health professional with a minimum of three years of experience in a healthcare environment (primary, secondary, tertiary or community setting) Or Academic Administrative professional in a clinical environment And Level 8 bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in a healthcare, life science, business or related discipline from a recognised institution.
English Language	Primary degree in English Or Working in a health setting where English language proficiency is a requirement Or IELTS 6.5 overall (≥ 6.0 each band) or equivalent.
Digital	Reliable broadband (≥ 5 Mbps) Computer/tablet with a camera and headset Basic Microsoft 365 software skills
Supporting Documents	Proof of identity Proof of professional registration Or Primary degree certificate

Advance your leadership, strengthen your impact, and shape the future of healthcare.

Why Royal College of Physicians of Ireland?

Helping doctors reach their full potential since 1654

Largest postgraduate medical college in Ireland

Prestigious world-recognised brand

Download Brochure

📧 admissions@hiberniacollege.com | 📞 +353 1 661 0168

📧 admissions@hiberniacollege.com
📞 +353 1 661 0168

FAQ

The programme is designed for busy healthcare professionals. There is one live tutorial per week (approx. 1 hour), with flexible scheduling options and recordings available for those who cannot attend live.

In addition, most learners will spend 2-3 hours per week engaging with online learning materials, collaborating with peers and preparing for assessment submissions.

Aside from the live tutorial, all other study time is self-paced, allowing you to fit learning around clinical, family, and personal commitments.

Yes. The diploma is 100% online over eight months, with live weekly tutorials and on-demand learning materials. This allows participants from Ireland, the UK, the Middle East, and beyond to study without travel or disruption to work.

The Professional Diploma in Healthcare Leadership is awarded solely by the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI) — a globally recognised medical authority established in 1654. Hibernia College is the delivery partner, providing the flexible, high-quality online learning environment.

You will learn from world-class faculty, including senior clinicians, healthcare leaders, and internationally recognised experts in leadership, quality improvement, and operations. These faculty members actively work in healthcare leadership roles—not just academia—ensuring teaching is practical and relevant.

The tuition fee is €4,000, with several affordability supports:

10% discount for upfront payment
10% discount for RCPI members and Fellows (one discount applies)
Instalment plan available, including deposit + staged payments across modules

These options are designed to support learners balancing fees with professional and personal commitments.

Yes. You may:

Pay upfront and secure the 10% discount
Use the three-part instalment plan (plus deposit)
Have fees covered by your employer or hospital group with confirmation of sponsorship

This offers financial flexibility for both individuals and organisations.

No. The diploma is suitable for both emerging and established leaders. It is ideal for doctors, nurses, midwives, allied health professionals, healthcare managers, and professionals in digital health or pharma who are stepping into leadership, operational, or quality roles.

This diploma is unique because it is:

Awarded by RCPI — a globally respected medical institution
Delivered by world-class clinical leaders, not generic management trainers
Practical and workplace-focused, helping you improve systems immediately
Flexible, with only a one 1-hour live tutorial per week
Internationally relevant, aligned with Irish and UK leadership frameworks
Recognised with 48 CPD credits
A combination of credibility, flexibility, and clinically grounded teaching, which is rarely found in comparable programmes.