(HS) Healthcare Studies

HS 100. Overview of Careers in Health Care. 1 Hour.

This course introduces the students to the different employment possibilities for a Health Care Studies graduate. Seminars will feature invited speakers to discuss how their company works and what positions they might have for a graduate in Health Care Studies. In addition Students can visit different facilities to see first-hand how their studies in Health Care can be applied to different job settings through virtual tours.

HS 101. Introduction to Health Care Studies. 3 Hours.

This course will introduce the students to the health care industry, and will consist of lectures, readings, discussions, and visiting professionals. While the principal goal will be to inform students of the necessary skills needed to succeed in the health care field, a secondary goal will have the student be able to articulately describe the background to almost any article relating to the challenges of national health care.

HS 121. Medical Terminology. 3 Hours.

This course introduces students to the language used in describing and coding of clinical visits, medical procedures and on medical forms. The ability to understand complex medical terms will be gained by the analysis of prefixes, word roots and suffixes. Coding of diseases (ICD-9) and medical insurance language will also be emphasized.

HS 199. Topic/. 1-6 Hour.

This course is intended to provide the opportunity to offer courses in health care studies that would not normally be a part of the Husson curriculum. As such the topics will depend upon the interests of students and faculty.

HS 299. Topic/. 1-3 Hour.

This course is intended to provide the opportunity to offer courses in health care studies that would not normally be a part of the Husson curriculum. As such the topics will depend upon the interests of students and faculty.

HS 301. Introduction to Public Health. 3 Hours.

This course is an introductory overview of the U.S. Public Health System with an emphasis on the core areas of public health, challenges and strategies for working with communities, and specific health issues that impact the health of the population. We will look at environmental and behavior factors associated with health promotion and disease prevention and view different national programs and programs going on in Maine.

HS 302. Global Health. 3 Hours.

This course provides an overview of the determinants of health and how health status is measured. Students review the burden of disease, who is most affected by different disease burdens, risk factors, and key measures to address the burden of disease in cost-effective ways. Special attention is paid throughout the course to health systems issues. The course covers key concepts and frameworks but is practical in orientation. It is also global in coverage but with a focus on low- and middle-income countries, the health of the poor, equity, inequality, and health disparities. The course emphasizes the linkages between health and development. Prerequisite(s): HS 101.

HS 311. Healthcare Management and Organization. 3 Hours.

This course will introduce junior year students to the complexity of healthcare organizations and how they are managed. An overview of the historical development of the modern healthcare organization, as well as the contemporary management roles and functions within them, will be reviewed. Measuring performance and quality improvement will also be taught. The importance of the roles of physicians, nurses, as well as other professionals and support staff will be highlighted. Theories of healthcare leadership will also be explored. Prerequisite(s): (HS 101) or ( Major=MS Occupational Therapy and ( College Level=Grad Freshman or College Level=Grad Sophomore or College Level=Grad Junior or College Level=Grad Senior)).

HS 321. Healthcare Law and Ethics. 3 Hours.

This course is a summation and integration of Ethics and Law within the context of healthcare delivery. The class will be introduced to the ethical and moral considerations of the healthcare professions by exploring their historical development. Students will also discover how the law influences the healthcare profession and be introduced to our complex legal structure through exposure to case law and regulations. Prerequisite(s): HS 101 and HS 121 and PH 110.

HS 401. Medical Databases. 3 Hours.

This course is designed as a continuation of HS 121 (medical terminology) and MI 214. Students will learn about and contrast different types of electronic medical records systems. They will learn how to transfer and share data with people from same clinics to people outside of the system and learn about the ethical and legal issues of sharing data. Prerequisite(s): HS 121 and (IT 111 or IT 214).

HS 411. Health Economics and Policy. 3 Hours.

This course will introduce senior Health Care Studies students to beginning healthcare economics and its influence on health policy. The course will emphasize the economic issues of scarcity, choice, supply and demand, marginal analysis, substitutes, and externalities as they relate to health care policies. National health insurance, as a rapidly evolving idea for the future, will also be analyzed and evaluated. Prerequisite(s): HS 101 and HS 311.

HS 421. Health Care Studies Senior Experience. 3 Hours.

This course combines students past course work into one research project. Each student will be required to plan and carry out an investigation into some health area of interest and write-up and report their experiences and results to the whole class. In addition they will put together a portfolio, resume and cover letter for a job of their choice. Prerequisite(s): Major=BS Health Care Studies or Major=BS Healthcare Administration & Public Health.

HS 491. Health Care Studies Internship. 3-6 Hours.

This course offers the students experiences in a work and/or research environment dedicated to health care or public health. Each student chooses and contacts a hospital, clinic, health center, public health department or health care business and spends a total of 100 hours in that setting. Activities will include training/orientation, work on projects relevant to the mission of the agency, observation of agency work processes, and other assigned work from the site liaison. Students keep daily journals and meet three times during the semester for training and to share their experiences. Prerequisite(s): Major=BS Healthcare Studies or Major=BS Healthcare Administration & Public Health and ( College Level=Junior or College Level=Senior).

HS 499. Topic/. 1-6 Hour.

This course is intended to provide the opportunity to offer advanced courses in health care studies that would not normally be a part of the Husson curriculum. As such the topics will depend upon the interests of students and faculty.

HS 501. Foundation of Public Health. 3 Hours.

This course is designed to provide an overview of the field of public health and population health science, to canvass current themes, to hear from a variety of experts, to consider future career roles in the field, and to set the stage for ongoing studies in the public health curriculum. Course assignments are intended to respectfully advance student skills in a manner that creates valuable outputs for graduate students. Emphasis is placed on underlying theories and the scientific and social basis for public health practice, plus the impact of critical public health concerns on society. Also, this course explores the nation's health challenges, the epidemiologic basis of the public's health, the organization and financing of health services in the United States, and current strategies for advancing public health. Students will need to be enrolled in the Master’s in Public Health program.

HS 511. Healthcare Management and Organization. 3 Hours.

This course is designed to provide participants with the skills, knowledge, and problem solving ability necessary for becoming a successful healthcare manager and leader. Critical issues facing managers in healthcare today are introduced largely through a case study approach. In this approach, students use case studies to identify key management concepts and skills for healthcare managers. Rather than learning through reading of traditional didactic material, learning occurs primarily through exploration of problems that typically confront healthcare managers. Students need to be enrolled in Master’s in Public Health program or other graduate degree program.

HS 600. Research Methods in Public Health. 3 Hours.

This course provides a general introduction to research design, statistical reasoning, and interpretation of the medical literature and Public Health. Topics include protection of human subjects, the research question, research methods, issues of measurement, models of experimental and non-experimental designs, and an overview of parametric and on-parametric statistics. The topics provide a basis for understanding and interpreting the literature for use in evidence-based practice in Public Health. Students need to be enrolled in Master’s in Public Health program or other graduate degree program.

HS 601. Biostatistics in Public Health. 3 Hours.

This course helps students obtain basic and intermediate knowledge about biostatistics. This course briefly covers descriptive statistics, graphs and statistical tests, first seen in the introductory statistic course, with the emphasis on computing statistics using SPSS and on interpreting results and drawing a conclusion. The main focus of the course is on new materials such as one and two-sample parametric and non-parametric methods for analyzing continuous or discrete data, and different regression models, and report writing. Students work with SPSS software during the weekly online sessions, as well as in the homework. Students need to be enrolled in the MPH program or receive permission from instructor.

HS 602. Public Health Program Planning, Management, and Evaluation. 3 Hours.

In Public Health Program Planning, Management, and Evaluation students learn skills and concepts needed to design, implement, and evaluate public health programs. Topics such as needs assessment, measurement strategies, defining program mission and goals, identifying and building stakeholder commitment, program implementation strategies, and evaluation approaches are covered. Students learn the fundamentals of translating public health policies and goals into specific programmatic efforts. Students need to be enrolled in the Master’s in Public Health program or other graduate degree programs.

HS 603. Public Health & Behavior Change. 3 Hours.

Public Health and Behavior Change introduces participants to theories of behavior change/health behavior change, and the application of those theories to public health efforts to improve health. Students learn social and behavioral theories that guide our understanding of health related behavior. Examples of the application of these theories to current health problems (e.g., youth violence, obesity, HIV/AIDS) and changing behavior related to those problems are studied. Students also design a population based program to change health behaviors, incorporating principles of effective communication, stakeholder buy-in, and program evaluation. Students need to be enrolled in Master’s in Public Health program or other graduate degree program.

HS 604. Epidemiology. 3 Hours.

This course provides a graduate level study of epidemiologic concepts and approaches to population problems in public health. This course covers applications of epidemiologic methods and procedures to the study of the distribution and determinants of health and diseases, morbidity, injuries, disability, and mortality in populations. The course is intended to enable students to become informed and intelligent consumers of epidemiologic literature and to provide a basis for further studies and careers in public health sciences and other related fields. Students need to be enrolled in the MPH program or receive permission from instructor.

HS 606. Advanced Healthcare Economics and Policy. 3 Hours.

In this course, participants analyze U.S. health policy and service delivery using an economic perspective. Economic concepts covered include scarcity, market pricing, supply, demand, and efficiency and how they apply to healthcare and public health today. Using economic tools and perspectives, participants analyze and interpret current health policy, practice, and research. Students also contrast health economics and health policy/practice in the United States with other industrialized countries. Participants develop skills in advocating for and defending health related policies and programs that could improve health and public health in the United States. Students need to be enrolled in Master’s in Public Health program or other graduate degree program.

HS 607. Advanced Healthcare Management. 3 Hours.

Advanced healthcare management focuses on learning and applying healthcare management principles in healthcare and public health settings. Topics include the organization and structure of health and public health systems; leadership and management; budgeting and resource management; planning, regulation and compliance; and program planning/implementation. Knowledge about healthcare management is applied through a hypothetical management project that requires integrating knowledge and skills form a variety of management topics. Students need to be enrolled in the Master’s in Public Health program.

HS 699. Topic/. 3 Hours.

Students work together in a seminar setting under the direction of a member of the graduate faculty. The content of the seminar will vary according to the interests of students and faculty involved.

HS 700. Global Health. 3 Hours.

This course provides an overview of the determinants of health and how health status is measured. Students also review the burden of disease, who is most affected by different disease burdens, risk factors, and key measures to address the burden of disease in cost-effective ways. Special attention is paid throughout the course to health systems issues. The course covers key concepts and frameworks and is practical in orientation. The course is global in coverage yet also focuses on low- and middle-income countries, the health of the poor, equity, inequality, and health disparities. Particular attention is paid throughout the course to the linkages between health and development. Students need to be enrolled in the MPH program or receive permission from the instructor to enroll.

HS 701. Advanced Integrative Seminar in Public Health. 6 Hours.

In this six credit course, students synthesize and integrate knowledge and skills acquired in previous public health coursework. Students analyze a public health problem and design a health promotion intervention to address that problem. The analysis includes a description of the problem and perceived need from a population or public health perspective, identification of stakeholder groups involved in the problem, and review of peer reviewed current literature relevant to the identified problem. Students then design a population or public health based policy, program, or intervention that targets an identified public health need or problem. Students need to be enrolled in the MPH program or receive permission from the instructor.

HS 702. Public Health Practicum Experience. 3 Hours.

Public Health Practicum Experience (Internship) is designed to provide the student with practical experience in a public health setting and professional role development in public health. Through this practical experience, the student improves skills in applying knowledge, theories, and concepts in public health to community settings and populations. Students must enroll in the Master’s in Public Health program or other graduate degree program.