Quarter 1

Writing for the Professions (6 q.h.)

This course introduces the vocabulary and philosophy of business communications. Students practice planning, writing, and analyzing effective business letters and memoranda. Students learn the methods and principles of research and documentation of semi-technical analyses and business reports. The course allows practice in organizing and writing complex forms of business communications.

Managing Services Organizations Intensive (6 q.h.)

This course examines the management of health services organizations (HSOs) and health systems from management functions, concepts, and principles to managerial roles, skills, and competencies within the context of HSOs and health systems and their external environment. A comprehensive model of managing in HSOs and health systems and the increasingly important role of technology are studied. The second half of this course emphasizes how health managers solve problems, make decisions, and conduct strategic planning. The roles played by quality and productivity in establishing and maintaining a competitive position and how managers seek to manage the complex human relationships that exist within HSOs and health systems as well as other agencies and external stakeholders will be studied.

Bioethics (3 q.h.)

The field of ethics in healthcare is interdisciplinary in character. While it remains anchored in philosophy, medical ethics intertwines the issues of politics, economic policy, sociology, and the law. Medicine is a fruitful area for philosophical exploration and application of basic theories that help to analyze practical problems and concrete moral dilemmas. The course addresses issues such as informed consent and whether patients have a “right to die.” The course covers the distribution of health services and the allocation of scarce resources. Students will become familiar with the complex issues and various possible responses.

Quarter 2

Financial Accounting Intensive (6 q.h.)

The first half of the course examines the development of financial statements including the underlying concepts and measurement theories. It emphasizes the analysis and use of these statements to make decisions. The second half emphasizes issues in financial reporting, valuation, and income measurement. It includes inventories, plant and equipment, bonds, present value, and stockholders' equity.

The Civilizations of the Modern World (3 q.h.)

This course studies the world from 1789 to the present. Topics include capitalism, industrialization, nationalism, imperialism, the clash of ideologies in the nineteenth century, and a study of total war in the present century. Students explore the prospects for the future.

Healthcare Delivery Systems (3 q.h.)

This course examines the social organization of healthcare in the United States, the changing role of government, the growth of health insurance, health agencies and programs, policies and regulations, diverse provider settings, funding sources, and trends related to national health policy issues.

Quarter 3

Healthcare Financial Management Intensive (6 q.h.)

This course provides an overview of basic financial and accounting principles as they relate to hospitals and healthcare facilities. Included are issues of fund accounting, control, and third party reimbursement.  The second half of the course introduces the various financial and organizational players responsible for ensuring the longevity and solvency of the healthcare facility. Interpretation of internal financial and organizational structures, the use of appropriate cost allocations, the financial role of government in healthcare, and the various financial tools in decision making will be discussed.

Intensive Statistics (6 q.h.)

The first half of this course introduces the collection and organization of data, including the measurement, presentation, and uses of elementary set theory; measures of central tendency and variability; basic probability; and probability distributions. The course continues with sampling and basic estimation techniques, “t” distribution, testing of statistical hypotheses, and analysis of variances.

Public Health (3 q.h.)

Study the principles of public health and current mental and physical health problems. Examine federal, state, and community resources mobilized to aid in education, prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation. Topics include communicable diseases, mental health, environmental health, and chronic diseases. 

Quarter 4

Principles and Practices of Community Health (3 q.h.)

A survey of community healthcare activities including emerging needs and the implementation of available and developing resources will be reviewed. Emphasis will be placed on community health promotion and the coordination and integration of clinical and self-care activities for the prevention of communicable diseases and the promotion of a healthy lifestyle for the individual and the community. Specific community health problems will be discussed and analyzed from multiple perspectives.

Organizational and Group Communication (3 q.h.)

Why is communication important for organizations and how do individuals within organizations become effective communicators? This course provides the foundation in the study of organizational communication and introduces students to other relevant topics, such as meeting dynamics, crisis communication, and measurement and assessment of the quality of organizational communications.

Factors Affecting Heath Service Management (6 q.h.)

This course focuses on understanding the issues and learning how to prevent and solve administrative and biomedical ethical problems in healthcare settings. Included are strategies for dealing with withdrawal and withholding of treatment, DNR orders, death and dying, HIV and AIDS, informed consent, and social responsibility, among other topics.

Quarter 5

Quality Assurance in Healthcare Management (5 q.h.)

This course is designed to study all aspects of quality management within the healthcare arena. Students will study legislative mandates, healthcare agencies’ requirements and methods of assessing and improving the quality of care. The procedures utilized to monitor physician and professional staff reappointment and credentialing will be emphasized. Utilization management, quality improvement, and risk management will also be studied. Students will learn how to carry out performance monitoring focusing on evaluation of patient care, physician, and provider performance.

Health Law, Planning, and Regulation (6 q.h.)

This course is structured to help students understand how to assess liability in the workplace, the impact of medical malpractice, risk management, and current ethical and legal dilemmas in the practice of medicine. How to manage risk of the employer and patient through the use of medical records and specific behavior patterns, how to determine personal risk, and how to recognize potential litigious issues in the practice of medicine will also be discussed.

Race and Ethnicity (3 q.h.)

Because human beings belong to different racial and ethnic groups, the study of these constructs is important to sociology. This course examines race and ethnicity as constructed differences and explores the reasons for their existence, the power dynamics behind constructions of difference, the impact of difference on identity, and ways that visual and other presentations influence perceptions of self and others. Students will explore the history of race and ethnicity and how history has influenced the study of these topics.

Quarter 6

Health Management Practicum (3 q.h.)

In this senior capstone course, working in conjunction with a preceptor, students will perform independent work within an administrative setting. Projects include problem identification, data gathering, analysis of alternatives, and implementation of a plan of action.

Healthcare Operations Management (3 q.h.)

This will focus on applications-oriented case studies relating to selected operations management planning, restructuring, and control problems common to hospitals and other health services organizations.

Employment Law and Employee Rights (6 q.h.)

This course focuses on fundamental concepts of the employment relationship and legal rights/duties of employer and employee. Risk management of various prevalent statutory claims of sex, age, or racial discrimination as well as sexual harassment will be covered. Wrongful termination, EEO, ADA, Family Medical Leave Act, and other emerging case law doctrines will be analyzed. National Labor Relations Act, wage and benefit legislation, and the Occupational Safety Act will be discussed. Current court rulings, case studies, and analysis will focus students on critical issues and challenges facing individuals, businesses, and society entering the 21st century.