Health Sciences

Program Description

The AS in Health Sciences creates an academic home for the large number of students interested in the health professions. The program exposes students to a variety of health careers, in addition to nursing, while at the same time providing them with industry-aligned, “stackable” certification and experiential learning opportunities.

The program has three options:
• Healthcare Careers Preparation, which prepares students interested in pursuing AAS or bachelor’s programs that lead to careers (e.g., nursing) providing healthcare services directly to patients and consumers.
• Health Administration, which prepares students to understand health services and develop their administrative, organizational, and business skills to apply to healthcare.
• Care Coordination, which prepares students to support patients, consumers and others navigating The Healthcare System.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the Health Sciences program requirements, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate an understanding that personal health and public health are determined by multiple factors, including scientific, medical, behavioral, environmental, cultural, social, political, and economic factors. Apply health concepts to the prevention and treatment of disease and to promote health and wellness.
2. Demonstrate basic proficiency of quantitative, scientific, and administrative skills in the field of health sciences. Assess and interpret health information. Use what is learned through this analysis to help develop solutions to problems and/ or to promote further investigation.
3. Explain the fundamental characteristics and functions of the United States health care system and the services and resources available to an individual, family or community to meet the needs of good health. Identify obstacles and opportunities for individuals to obtain health care services.
4. Communicate effectively about health care issues with diverse audiences. Practice as a member of a team. Appreciate human diversity and the implications diversity has on health. Evaluate and describe the health concerns of an individual patient, family, institution, and/or community with sensitivity to the context of the circumstances.

Upon successful completion of the Healthcare Careers Preparation option, students will be able to:

1. Apply an understanding of pre-clinical natural and behavioral sciences to issues of patient care.
2. Demonstrate clinical competency in fundamental health care skills, such as CPR and phlebotomy.

Upon successful completion of the Health Administration option, students will be able to:

1. Critically analyze and discuss topics including organizational behavior, finance, and business.
2. Utilize and incorporate basic business technology to produce business documents, spreadsheets, and databases.

Upon successful completion of the Care Coordination option, students will be able to:

1. Apply knowledge of the health care system and its resources as well as knowledge of patient needs and preferences to support optimal wellness.
2. Utilize skills in communication, assessment, resource management to bring together health care providers and health care consumers to promote patient health.
3. Discuss fundamental concepts of care coordination, such as analyzing patient needs, establishing empathetic relationships, and determining the effectiveness of services and obstacles to gaining access to care.

Program Coordinator: Dr. Stacia Reader