General Education Courses

The first of a two-course sequence, this course provides a lecture and laboratory study of the structure and function of human cells, tissues, and organs and body systems as they relate to human health and biology. The course stresses homeostatic control systems and coordinated body functions with an emphasis on the integumentary, skeletal, muscular, nervous, and endocrine systems.

This course covers principles of microbiology with emphasis on microorganisms and human disease. Topics include an overview of microbiology, biotechnology, and immunology, with emphasis on identification and characterization, disease transmission and clinical pathogenicity of microorganisms organized by organ system. Upon completion, students will be able to demonstrate knowledge of microorganisms and the disease process as well as aseptic and sterile techniques.

This course expands the student’s knowledge of the organization and function of healthcare systems and their interrelationships. Concepts of planning, organizing, team building, staffing, and controlling will be discussed as they relate to the mission, values, and strategic initiatives of the system/organization. Quality improvement and the utilization of resources to deliver optimum healthcare at a reasonable cost will be addressed.

This course brings together the personal, human, and intimate experiences of health and illness as told through personal accounts, fiction, memoirs, essays, poetry, and film with theoretical, scientific, and institutional understandings to create more holistic knowledge of patients’ health, illness and, most importantly, identity.

This course introduces students to the language of medical terminology and the importance of proper medical term usage. Focus is placed on accurate spelling and pronunciation of terms; building knowledge of basic medical vocabulary with an emphasis on prefixes, suffixes, roots; combining word forms; and developing a comprehension of medical terminology related to each system of the body.

This course is designed to give students an accurate understanding of the psychological changes that individual’s experience as they grow across the adult life span: young adult, middle adulthood, and older adults. Students will examine the life span from an inter-professional perspective, stressing the interaction of physiological, psychological, cultural, and social aspects of human development while examining the dynamic forces that underlie and produce changes. The course will emphasize the need for identifying the ever-changing relationships between the individual and society that help to shape the experience of aging and emphasizing the topical areas in which psychological change occurs.

Examining the Progressive Era through the Cold War, this course considers the circumstances around some of the major public health and healthcare events of the 20th century in the United States by framing them through the history that made them possible. Particularly, the course examines how the social history of 20th Century America was often tied to the health of the nation’s citizens through public health initiatives, personal choices, and government responses. Covered healthcare topics include, but are not limited to, vaccinations, food and drug reform, healthcare access, and women’s health.

The course is a study of basic algebraic techniques, including the study of the properties of elementary functions, such as polynomial, absolute value, radical, rational, exponential, and logarithmic functions. Topics include equations, inequalities, functions, and their graphs. Students interpret, analyze, solve, and formulate mathematical and real-world problems.

This course introduces students to descriptive statistics, both graphical and numerical, elementary probability, general and sampling distributions, and the fundamentals of statistical inference, including hypothesis testing, correlation, and T-testing. Statistical concept in healthcare highlighted included the difference between correlation and causation, mortality and morbidity, and efficacy and effectiveness.

The medical field is comprised of an almost inexhaustible array of ethical issues. In this class, we will lay the groundwork of ethical theory and then quickly analyze ethical issues in clinical practice and social justice issues in the medical field. We will then turn to particular ethical issues, such as organ transplantation, stem cell research, euthanasia, abortion, and genetic enhancement.

Fall: Online

This course focuses on important issues currently facing the medical community and society at large. Topics may include cultural approaches to healthcare, disability and aging, the history of nursing homes and assisted living facilities, end of life decisions, the use of technology and electronic health records, social and political approaches to healthcare and the cost of healthcare, ethics surrounding pregnancy, vaccine ethics, medical errors, and overtreatment, among others.

Fall: Face-to-Face

Students gain an introduction to the study of human behavior and cognitive processes. Topics include biological foundations of psychological processes, lifespan development, learning theory, personality theory, perception, memory, states of consciousness, stress and emotions and social psychology, among others.

Fall: Face-to-Face

This course is designed to help students learn and improve skills and strategies that are essential to academic success. Topics include professionalism, time management, study skills, note-taking, test-taking strategies, stress management, reading strategies, and paper writing, among others.