Health Science (HS)

This course is designed for students interested in exploring a range of careers available in health care. Students will discuss current issues and topics related to health care, while reflecting on their own values, skills and interests in order to determine if a career in the health professions is a good fit for them. Through lectures, hands-on experiential learning sessions, blackboard discussions, a panel discussion, patient grand rounds, and reflective journaling, students will gain an understanding of the skills, education, and experiences that are required for the health professions programs available at St. Ambrose University.

We all die, so why do we interpret death & dying in different ways? Death is a universal part of life, but people understand and experience it in very different ways. This introductory course explores how individuals and societies interpret dying, death, and grief. Students will learn basic concepts in the study of death and dying and examine how medical systems, cultural beliefs, religions, and public policies shape end-of-life experiences. The course also compares diverse practices and attitudes across cultures and introduces major ethical questions related to end-of-life care.

This course relates organizational principles to the operation of health care facilities, including personnel management, communication structures, and governance with emphasis on leadership and motivation.

This course relates the physical, psychological, and sociological needs of residents/patients to services provided by health care facilities and the role of leadership.

This course will introduce the student to the concept of health literacy. The student will learn to find, analyze, and explain health care information to others using health literacy processes. In addition, the student will use essential communication skills to develop inter-professional relationships with providers and clients.

This course addresses the following question: How is feeling good related to your neighborhood? This course is designed around social determinants of health with examples and historical perspectives relevant to SAU campuses (Quad Cities and Cedar Rapids). In this course, students will examine multiple forms of "difference" related to social determinants of health, a contemporary and enduring concern. Specifically, this course will engage in "local difference" focusing on income inequality, discrimination, neighborhood environments, social support, and the migrant experience, with contemporary and historical examples. Students will learn to identify the value of diverse identities and perspectives and articulate the role of race, ethnicity, age, sex and gender as social determinants of health.

This is an introductory course which emphasizes the recognition, definition, and pronunciation of medical terms. The student will understand the meaning of these words by defining the word roots and combining forms. Sophomore status recommended.

This course provides an overview of federal, state, and other regulatory agencies' policies for health care facilities. Areas covered include: labor issues, liability, licensure requirements, environmental management, policy and procedure writing. Agencies covered will include, but are not limited to, Medicaid and Medicare.

Provides a bi-directional application of learning where students relate what they have learned, in an advocacy role, to a local as well as global contexts. Through 64 hours of comprehensive classroom training, focusing on the dynamics and impacts of interpersonal violence, students will develop advocacy competencies aligned with interpersonal violence, violence prevention, trauma-informed care, crisis intervention, anti-oppression and diversity. Students will examine gender-based violence and develop strategies to address it. Engages action-based service learning established through volunteer experiences where students interact and engage with persons within the community to support improvement in community health and wellness. Upon completion of the course, a survivor advocacy training certificate of completion is earned from Family Resources Inc. Survivor Services Program.

This course provides students with an understanding of the scientific approach to health sciences research. Students will learn the steps of building a research study from start to finish, evaluating the research for quality and design. Through the course, students will have the opportunity to explore a health-related research topic of interest and propose their own study. Special attention will be paid to the ethics of medical research.

In preparation for health care leadership in rapidly changing, complex health care delivery systems, students will examine clinical informatics models, electronic-based patient records, health information technology standards (HIT), health information exchange (HIE), clinical decision support systems, and evaluation of technology that influences health care delivery models, practices, and patient outcomes.

This course focuses on the unique financial issues and problems in a not-for-profit health care setting. Students will understand the impact of government in the financing of health care and health care facilities. General financial and economic principles will be viewed in light of this type of environment.

Health majors who are juniors or seniors are required to complete an internship in health care. In consultation with their faculty advisor, students shall assess their academic and vocational qualifications, develop their resume, and conduct a search for an internship position. Students will work directly with the professionals who are most knowledgeable about the specific interest area of the student.

This culminating experience allows students to learn about the skills needed to head into their careers. Topics will include: communication, teamwork, cultural competency, ethical decision-making, and professionalism. Each student will work with the course instructor to select and execute a project during the course that will exemplify the work they hope to do in the future (e.g., health-based research, program evaluation, etc.)