BS in Health Science

The Department of Health and Community Services provides students an opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Science in Health Science. Students choose from one of two options for their major: health education or health services administration. Both options prepare students for entry-level positions in the health industry.

Mission

The Department of Health & Community Services’ mission is to provide our students with a multidisciplinary, competency- and service-based curriculum to work effectively in diverse communities, health care financing and delivery systems, and health organizations to meet emerging national and global health needs. 

Health Education Mission Statement:

To provide our students with a multi-disciplinary, competency and service based curriculum to work effectively in diverse communities, healthcare financing and delivery systems, and health organizations to meet emerging national and global health needs.

Health Service Administration Mission Statement

The Health Services Administration program’s mission is “to provide students with the knowledge and business skills related to operation of healthcare organizations and the organization of the healthcare system that are necessary for employment in a range of entry-level positions in the health care delivery system.“

Goals & Objectives

The graduate in Health Education will be able to:

1. Assess individual and community needs for health education
2. Plan health education strategies, interventions and programs
3. Implement health education strategies, interventions, and programs
4. Conduct evaluation and research related to health education
5. Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs
6. Serve as a health education resource person
7. Communicate and advocate for health and health education

OPTION IN HEALTH SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

1. The graduate in Health Services Administration will have knowledge, skills, and beliefs related to the health care delivery system.
2. The graduate in Health Services Administration will have knowledge, skills, and beliefs related to healthcare organizations.
3. The graduate in Health Services Administration will have knowledge, skills, and beliefs related to management processes, including program planning, implementation, and evaluation; management of human resources; and financial management.
4. The graduate in Health Services Administration will have competent communication skills, including written and spoken communication, use of electronic media and formal presentations/business reports.

Learning Outcomes

OPTION IN HEALTH EDUCATION

1. Assess individual and community needs for health education

• Access existing health-related data.
  • Identify diverse health-related databases.
  • Utilize computerized sources of health-related information.
  • Determine the compatibility of data from different data sources.
  • Select valid sources of information about health needs and interests.
• Collect health-related data.
  • Use appropriate data gathering instruments.
  • Apply survey techniques to acquire health data.
  • Conduct health-related needs assessments.
  • Implement appropriate measures to assess capacity for improving health status.
• Distinguish between behaviors that foster or hinder well-being.
  • Identify diverse factors that influence health behaviors.
  • Identify behaviors that tend to promote or compromise health.
• Identify factors that foster or hinder the process of health education.
  • Determine the extent of available health education services
  • Identify gaps and overlaps in the provision of collaborative health services.

2. Plan health education strategies, interventions and programs

• Involve people and organizations in program planning.
  • Identify populations for health education programs.
  • Elicit input from those who will affect, or be affected by, the program.
  • Obtain commitments from individuals who will be involved in the program.
  • Develop plans for promoting collaborative efforts among health agencies and organizations with mutual interests.
• Incorporate data analysis and principles of community organization.
  • Use research results when planning programs.
  • Apply principles of community organization when planning programs.
  • Suggest approaches for integrating health education within existing health programs.
  • Communicate need for the program to those who will be involved.
• Formulate appropriate and measurable program objectives.
  • Design developmentally appropriate interventions.
• Develop a logical scope and sequence plan for health education practice.
  • Determine the range of health information necessary for a given program of instruction.
  • Select references relevant to health education issues or programs.
• Assess factors that affect implementation.
  • Determine the availability of information and resources needed to implement health education programs for a given audience.            
  • Identify barriers to the implementation of health education programs.

3. Implement health education strategies, interventions, and programs

• Initiate a plan of action.
  • Use community organization principles to facilitate change conducive to health.
  • Pretest learners to determine baseline data relative to proposed program objectives.
  • Deliver educational programs to diverse populations.
  • Facilitate groups.
• Demonstrate a variety of skills in delivering strategies, interventions, and programs.
  • Use instructional technology effectively.
  • Apply implementation strategies.
• Use a variety of methods to implement strategies, interventions, and programs.
  • Use the Code of Ethics in professional practice.
  • Apply theoretical and conceptual models from health education and related disciplines to improve program delivery.
  • Demonstrate skills needed to develop capacity for improving health status.
  • Incorporate demographically and culturally sensitive techniques when promoting programs.
  • Implement intervention strategies to facilitate health-related change.

4. Conduct evaluation and research related to health education

• Develop plans for evaluation and research.
  • Synthesize information presented from the literature.
  • Evaluate research designs, methods, and findings presented in the literature.
• Review research and evaluation procedures.
  • Evaluate data-gathering instruments and processes.
  • Develop methods to evaluate factors that influence shifts in health status.
• Design data collection instruments.
  • Develop valid and reliable evaluation instruments.
  • Develop appropriate data-gathering instruments.
• Carry out evaluation and research plans.
  • Use appropriate research methods and designs in health education practice.            
  • Use data collection methods appropriate for measuring stated objectives.
  • Implement appropriate qualitative and quantitative evaluation techniques.
  • Implement methods to evaluate factors that influence shifts in health status.            
• Interpret results from evaluation and research.
  • Analyze evaluation data.
  • Analyze research data.
  • Compare evaluation results to other findings.
  • Report effectiveness of programs in achieving proposed objectives.

5. Administer health education strategies, interventions and programs

• Exercise organizational leadership.
  • Conduct strategic planning.
  • Analyze the organization’s culture in relationship to program goals.
  • Promote cooperation and feedback among personnel related to the program.
• Manage human resources.
  • Develop volunteer opportunities.

6. Serve as a health education resource person

• Use health-related information resources.
  • Match information needs with the appropriate retrieval systems.
  • Select a data system commensurate with program needs.
  • Determine the relevance of various computerized health information resources.
  • Access health information resources.
  • Employ electronic technology for retrieving references
• Respond to requests for health information.
  • Identify information sources needed to satisfy a request.
  • Refer requesters to valid sources of health information.
• Select resource materials for dissemination.
  • Evaluate applicability of resource materials for given audience.
  • Apply various processes to acquire resource materials.
  • Assemble educational material of value to the health of individuals and community groups.
• Establish consultative relationships.
  • Analyze parameters of effective consultative relationships.
  • Analyze the role of the health educator as a liaison between program staff and outside groups and organizations.
  • Act as a liaison among consumer groups, individuals, and health care provider organizations.
  • Apply networking skills to develop and maintain consultative relationships.
  • Facilitate collaborative training efforts among health agencies and organizations.

7. Communicate and advocate for health and health education

• Analyze and respond to current and future needs in health education.
  • Analyze factors (e.g., social, cultural, demographic, and political) that influence decision-makers.                        
• Apply a variety of communication methods and techniques.
  • Assess the appropriateness of language in health education messages.
  • Compare different methods of distributing educational materials.
  • Respond to public input regarding health education information.
  • Use culturally sensitive communication methods and techniques.
  • Use appropriate techniques when communicating health and health education information
  • Use oral, electronic, and written techniques for communicating health education information.
  • Demonstrate proficiency in communicating health information and health education needs.
• Promote the health education profession individually and collectively.
  • Develop a personal plan for professional growth.
• Influence health policy to promote health.
  • Identify the significance and implications of health care providers’ messages to consumers.

OPTION IN HEALTH SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

1. The graduate in Health Services Administration will have knowledge, skills, and beliefs related to the health care delivery system and will be able to:

• Identify participants in the system and describe their roles, responsibilities, and trends and issues related to them;
• Discuss, describe, and analyze the impact of politics and economics on the health care delivery system and on healthcare organizations; and be able to participate in influencing political decisions;
• Be able to apply laws and regulations that impact healthcare organizations (e.g., employment, antitrust, patient consent, confidentiality);
• Discuss the major ethical issues that are affecting health care and be able to articulate their own beliefs.

2. The graduate in Health Services Administration will have knowledge, skills, and beliefs related to healthcare organizations and will be able to:

• Describe the governance structure in health care organizations, including the role of the governing board, administrators, and committees;
• Describe how the medical/professional staff is governed, how membership to the staff is granted, and what entity has responsibility for disciplinary action
• Describe the roles, responsibilities, and functions of various services within healthcare organizations, including risk management, financial services, materials management, and facility management
• Be able to measure the quality of services and apply general approaches to quality management problems
• Be able to utilize the jargon and language of health care organizations

3. The graduate in Health Services Administration will have knowledge, skills, and beliefs related to management processes, including program planning, implementation, and evaluation; management of human resources; and financial management and will be able to:

• Be able to develop program plans, including defining problems in appropriate terms, setting goals and objectives, using statistical data, interpreting published data, researching issues, developing--and deciding from among--alternatives, and evaluating results and impacts;
• Be able to manage day-to-day organizational activities, including handling the informal, on-going flow of activities, managing time effectively, developing priorities, making considered decisions, and reviewing/evaluating performances and outcomes;
• Be able to manage people, including team building, networking, coordinating, committee management, motivating, resolving conflict/mediating, presenting, persuading, supervising staff, and conducting employee performance evaluations;
• Be able to manage program/organizational finances, including applying basic principles of budgeting, capital financing, and case-mix budgeting, using the budget as an internal control device, and applying various financial ratios; be able to identify sources of operating revenue, and understand the impact of third-party payers (particularly managed care organizations) on revenues.

4. The graduate in Health Services Administration will have competent communication skills, including written and spoken communication, use of electronic media and formal presentations/business reports.

• Write a business style letter
• Write a business style memo
• Write a business report
• Make a professional presentation