BS in Health Science Part-Time Online Degree Completion

This course provides an overview of multidimensional factors, perspectives and approaches associated with behavioral health and mental health. Classification, diagnosis, therapeutic approaches and institutional responses within the context of healthcare systems, values and ethics are discussed. Medical, legal, and social issues related to behavioral health and mental health and the treatment of people with mental health disorders are addressed.

Healthcare organizations are committed to improving the quality and safety of services both to achieve their missions and to comply with various regulatory requirements. This course will review the major sources of quality and safety standards, present some of the major approaches to improving quality and safety, and discuss the role of all healthcare workers in creating a culture of safety. Leadership implications of the quality and safety of the environment, movement, and handling will be explored.

This course will examine selected administration practices to prepare students for management roles including budget and finance, supervision and management of personnel, unions, strategic planning, departmental organization, goals, and plans of operation. Individual leadership styles and other assessment tools along with case studies of common challenges in healthcare environments will be presented. Considerations of differences between for-profit and not-for-profit organizations will be discussed.

General Elective for 3 credits

The planning and delivery of healthcare is strongly affected by legal issues and ethical aspects of professional roles and care delivery in various settings. Basic legal and ethical principles will be presented and applied to selected scenarios to illustrate the role that the law and ethics have on healthcare practice. The regulation of healthcare at national and state levels will also be reviewed.

This course provides an in-depth examination of leadership theories, practices, and skills required to lead healthcare organizations in a rapidly evolving landscape. It explores the impact of developing change implementation in areas such as diversity, equity, inclusion, and digital transformation on healthcare leadership, necessitating a collaborative, ethical, and adaptable approach. Coursework emphasizes developing an effective vision and strategy, fostering innovation, building high-performing teams, and making decisions with integrity. Students will apply leadership principles to contemporary case studies and develop insights into their own leadership style and growth. By the end of the course, students will possess advanced leadership skills to guide healthcare organizations toward a more equitable, sustainable, and technologically driven future. Prerequisites: HS 200 Intro Health & Healthcare, HS 210: Leadership in Healthcare. Students must be declared Health Science major.
Prerequisite: Take HS 200 and HS-210.

These two seminars are Sacred Heart University's academic signature common core. They are a direct reflection of the University's Mission. These seminars provide students with an understanding of the roots and development of the Catholic Intellectual Tradition as an interdisciplinary, ongoing 2,000 year conversation between the great writers, thinkers, and artists of the Tradition and the cultures in which they lived, asking fundamental questions about God, humanity, nature, and society. Using seminar pedagogy, these seminars ask students to join in this conversation and relate the texts and ideas of the seminars to students own lives and to the world in which they live.
Prerequisite: Take CIT 201

The rapidly changing demographics of the country and the world call for increased attention to disparities relative to health status, including issues around diversity, socioeconomic status, geography, and access. The effects that facility utilization and uncompensated care have on access will be discussed. This course will provide a framework for exploring diversity and disparities with emphasis on culturally competent care and mediation of differences in health outcomes among diverse populations with regards to accessing quality healthcare.

This course is designed to provide an overview of research design, methods, and ethics for undergraduate students in health science. The course develops the basic skill of critically analyzing research findings. Research methods are introduced with emphasis placed on analyzing key elements of research reports as a basis for determining the appropriateness of the research results for evidence-based practice in healthcare. Various types of research design and methods will be explored. Students will have the opportunity to design and evaluate research projects and gain a key understanding of reliability, validity and generalizability issues related to conducting research. Course Prerequisites: Students must be a declared Health Science or Communication Disorders major and have taken either HS-200 OR CMD-200.
Prerequisite: Take HS-200 or CMD-200 and MA-131

This course is geared toward liberal arts, science, business, and health science majors." It introduces descriptive statistics, probability distributions (both discrete and normal), confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, and correlation. Real-world applications are offered and computer statistical software may be used.

This course introduces the current status of information systems and technology in the healthcare industry. We will examine the clinical and administrative applications that are fundamental to the industry. Information systems topics such as process flow, systems analysis, database management, hardware, and software will also be discussed and examined in the context of the industry. Students will also explore emerging technologies and how they relate to the healthcare industry.

Completion Option Elective for 3 credits

This course will present a model for interacting with people seeking healthcare services and healthcare personnel with consideration of roles, expectations, communication, and mutual goal setting. Commonly used assessment skills such as general interviews/talking with clients, conflict resolution, and communication skills will be included as will more advanced professional interaction skills of conflict resolution, negotiation, and mediation.

Virtually all health services and careers are influenced by healthcare policy at the local, regional, national, and even international levels. The implications of health policy principles and decisions will be explored along with the resulting impact on the financing of healthcare services. Consideration to current policy and finance priorities in healthcare will be used to structure the examination and debate along with application of ethical principles and advocacy toward influencing healthcare policy.

This course provides students with an overview of aging and well-being in later life. Trends in aging populations, age-related changes, societal and personal attitudes toward aging, and health behaviors among older adults are discussed. Clinical aspects of aging and the impact of living with chronic conditions and frailty are examined. Key elements that influence overall health and the well-being of older individuals such as physical activity and nutrition are explored. Strategies intended to promote healthy and successful aging are included. Prerequisites: Must be HS major; must take HS 200 prior to taking this course.
Prerequisite: Take HS-200

Completion Option Elective for 3 credits

The Health Research Capstone course provides an overview of health research principles and the role of research in the surveillance and prevention of adverse health outcomes. Course content draws connections to other BSHS major core courses on research methods, diversity, behavioral and mental health, and legal and ethical principles. The capstone process will emphasize evaluation of available current research, study design, quantitative analysis, and knowledge translation. Specifically, students will collaborate with peers to design and conduct a research project of their interest using publicly available secondary data and share those results through academic poster presentations. The capstone experience will help students apply, enhance, and integrate the knowledge and skills gained in their BSHS core courses. Prerequisites: Must be HS major; must be at senior level; HS 204 must be taken prior to this course. *Restricted to HS majors with 84+ credits and completion of HS 204 Intro to Research in Health Science
Prerequisite: Take HS-204

Completion Option Elective for 3 credits

Completion Option Elective for 3 credits

General Elective for 3 credits

Why are some people in some countries so much healthier than others? This course will explore the factors that explain the unequal distribution of health and disease in the world. The course will begin with an introduction to the language of global health: the burden of disease, epidemiology, cost effectiveness, and health systems. It will then analyze the rationale for and modes of intervention to improve global health by exploring a number of high profile topics, including the HIV/AIDS epidemic, access to pharmaceuticals, human resources for health, and maternal and child health. The course will incorporate knowledge and views from multiple academic disciplines (public health, economics, politics, management, sociology) and does not require any background knowledge.

In this course, students will experience how health promotion activities are defined and supported by various health indicators and program planning models. They will demonstrate skills to develop a program rationale, assess behaviors and needs, and design plans to promote and evaluate interventions for those facing public health vulnerabilities and underlying medical conditions. Students will also consider multicultural approaches to health behaviors, community building opportunities, and advocacy actions to promote and sustain health programs. Attention will be given to how current health policies and guidance (such as The Affordable Care Act and Healthy People 2030) impact efforts for health promotion and disease prevention. Course Prerequisites Students must be a declared Health Science major. You must take HS 200 prior to taking this class.

This course examines holistic forms of health care that can add to the effectiveness of traditional allopathic care, including energy systems, art, imagery, meditation, and hands-on healing approaches. Integrative medicine is the term to describe the interdisciplinary approach to client care, which borrows from Eastern and Western medical traditions. Assignments will include first-hand experiences of techniques for subjective and objective assessment.

This course presents the fundamental scientific principles of human nutrition. Students will learn the components of a healthy diet, understand the major nutrition problems that affect individuals and populations throughout the life cycle, and understand the scientific basis for nutritional recommendations for health and to prevent disease.

This course covers the psychological, biological, cognitive, social, and emotional changes that occur throughout the human lifespan. It includes prenatal stages through death and dying. Students will be introduced to both classic and new and emerging theories of development as they gain an understanding of the dynamic interrelatedness and relationship between biology and environment in human growth and development.

This course is an interdisciplinary investigation and analysis of the ecological and social conditions that shape current patterns of childhood health disparities. We will analyze the underlying scientific associations of adverse health effects; evaluate casual links such as environmental contamination, air quality and heavy metal exposures, examine conditions that expand water-borne, vector-borne, and communicable diseases; assess how occupational and community design can contribute to patterns of disease; and explore disparate community impacts and rsponses to climate change. Students will evaluate the range and effectiveness of management and policy strategies designed to reduce adverse health outcomes, and explore evidence based strategies to reduce risk and health disparities. Particular attention will be given to the disproportionate health burdens on disenfranchised communities in both US and global regions.

This course teaches students to understand how key nutrients (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and water) affect health, disease, energy balance, and weight control. Students will learn the impact culture has on health and food choices, and how to apply components of good nutrition within these limitations. Other barriers to healthy nutrition are covered. Prerequisite: HS 308 or EX 255.
Prerequisite: Take HS-308 or EX-255