Course Descriptions

HSC1531 Medical Terminology
40 hours, 4 credits

This is a basic medical vocabulary-building course. An emphasis will be placed on the most common medical terms based on prefixes and suffixes, Latin and Greek origins, and anatomic roots denoting body structures. All body systems will be covered with a focus on word parts, terms built from word parts, abbreviations, and basic disease and surgical terms. Students will be expected to focus on spelling and pronunciation.

HSC1675 Healthcare Exploration and Careers
30 hours, 3 credits

This course assists students choosing and planning for their program selection and career path by exploring the roles and responsibilities of various healthcare professions and providing a high-level overview of the organizational structure and interaction to these professions within the healthcare system. In addition, students will evaluate career development skills, strengths and weaknesses, and abilities to identify career professional development and advancement opportunities in their chosen healthcare profession.

HSC2641 Medical Law and Ethics
40 hours, 4 credits

This course includes a study of the United States legal system and court process with emphasis on legal and ethical issues within the healthcare environment. Students will learn about various laws and regulations that impact healthcare, including privacy and confidentiality rules. Students will explore how medical laws and ethics apply to their future career.

HSC3010 Contemporary Health and Wellness
40 hours, 4 credits

In this course, students will explore the field of contemporary health and wellness, and become familiar with the variety of therapeutic methods offering holistic alternatives for patient care. Students will study the foundations and systems pertaining to health and wellness, preparing the student for health and wellness advocacy.

HSC3145 Therapeutic Communication and Patient Services
40 hours, 4 credits

This course introduces students to the roles of communication, compassion, and decision- making in healthcare. Students will identify and explain the techniques and barriers to effective communication that enhance patient interaction. Students will focus on therapeutic communication, alternative and complementary approaches to healthcare, and their roles in supporting patient privacy and dignity.

Prerequisite: HSC1531

HSC3258 Multidisciplinary Medical Practices
40 hours, 4 credits

This course provides an introduction to multidisciplinary medical practice concepts and methods for evaluating coordinated medical services while working with diverse populations. Topics include comparing various medical models, holistic health approaches, improving patient outcomes, analyzing cost savings, advocating patient healthcare, providing patient education, and case- management skills.

Prerequisite: HSC1531

HSC3371 Health Education and Training
40 hours, 4 credits

This course examines health and wellness education and focuses on opportunities within the healthcare field to support wellness and prevention through patient education. Students will explore evidence-based practices, community health, and disease management. Emphasis will be placed on examining and applying technologies necessary in delivering patient education to promote public health, preventative health, and individual wellness.

HSC3485 Healthcare Advocacy
40 hours, 4 credits

This course provides the knowledge, skills, and understanding necessary to act as a healthcare advocate for patients, diverse clients, and special populations across the life span. Students will evaluate different barriers to healthcare, patient rights, health justice, and behaviors related to promoting health and disease prevention. Students will also identify the role of cultural beliefs in relation to health practices and social services.

HSC4009 Healthcare and Aging
40 hours, 4 credits

The course is designed to investigate health concerns and aspects of the aging process. Explores concepts related to specific health problems confronting the aging population, examines preventative (primary, secondary, and tertiary) health behaviors along with health maintenance strategies. This course will also explore death and the dying process as well as stress the importance of purposeful living.

Prerequisite: PHA1500

HSC4125 Behavioral Health
40 hours, 4 credits

This course examines behavioral health in the contexts of wellness education and advocacy. Students will explore the relationship between behavioral health and overall wellness, while examining the critical importance of demonstrating advocacy skills to meet the behavioral health needs of patients in today’s healthcare systems. Key emphasis will be placed on analyzing applicable models of advocacy and understanding the unique ethical and legal challenges associated with the rapidly evolving shifts in our present behavioral health marketplace.

HSC4290 Health and Wellness Capstone
30 hours, 3 credits

The Health and Wellness Capstone course is designed as a final milestone for students to demonstrate the ability to use interdisciplinary methods to draw together different areas of study focusing on relevant health and wellness concepts and concerns. Students will rely heavily on knowledge and skills learned in previous program courses to demonstrate transferable skills related to critical thinking, digital fluency, information literacy, ethics and professional responsibility, communication and diversity, and teamwork.

Prerequisite: Expected to be the final upper-level core course completed

HSC4500 Epidemiology
40 hours, 4 credits

This course examines the patterns and causes of disease in populations, how diseases are documented, and how to analyze the data to understand disease causes.