Dr. Michelle McDonald, Dean of General Education and Health Studies, welcomes all students to the core of every Baptist Blue Healer. The general education and health studies' mission is to provide students with a strong foundation in the arts and sciences to prepare them with the intellectual, social, and spiritual values needed to succeed in the health care profession. General education and health studies courses focus on students developing skills in critical thinking, scientific inquiry, communication, and ethics.
Welcome for General Education & Health Studies Dean, Dr. Michelle McDonald
The general education and health studies division provides students the foundational courses in math, physical and life sciences, humanities, social sciences, and religion, as well as the Bachelors of Health Science degree majors in Biomedical Sciences, Health, Administration and Population Health. Whether you come to Baptist Health Science University straight from high school, or you transfer in with credit from a community college or other university, all students will take courses in general education that are unique to our university. These include us healthcare systems, medical sociology, and the one credit Baptist University experience or BUE course. U.S. healthcare systems and medical sociology specifically prepare you for your future careers in healthcare.
Whether you call to clinical, administrative, or community serving professionals. the BUE or Baptist University Experience course begins by acclimating you to the technology and other resources used at the university, followed by several weeks focus on ensuring you are equipped with the skills necessary for excellence in your coursework. BUE also prepares you for the interprofessional healthcare environment, you will encounter as you begin your career. Baptist Health Science University graduates will be working with many different professionals as they provide care and support for the health care system in our community. It is crucial that you have a clear understanding of these various different professions, and can appreciate the values and needs of the patient, and their family, as well as have the professional communication and teamwork skills to work together effectively.
The Biomedical Sciences major is for students who already know they plan to move into graduate health care professions. You have the opportunity to customize your path through this program to prepare for medical school, physician's assistants programs, pharmacy, physical or occupational therapy, optometry research, or other graduate level professions. We are very proud to report that 100% of our graduates enter into one of these professional programs or have begun careers in Biomedical Research and related health care professions.
The Health Administration major includes both a traditional track for students coming in as freshmen or with low transfer credit, and a completion program for those with over 60 credit hours of college work. The Health Administration program prepares students to plan, direct and coordinate the delivery of health care services. We prepare students with the foundation necessary to understand the operations and administration and leadership aspects of healthcare. All students will complete 120 hour internship at Baptist Memorial healthcare sites, the VA hospital, or other department or other community organizations of the students choice.
We are proud also to report that 100% of our Health Administration graduates are placed in jobs or promoted from the position they had when they started our program. Population Health, our newest major, focuses on protecting and improving the health of families and communities. Students learn methods to promote healthy lifestyles to attain or maintain wellness, research causes of disease and ways to prevent injury and learn techniques to detect and control infectious diseases, such as COVID-19.
Many factors contribute to a person's current state of health. Certainly medical care is an important component of bringing patients back to good health, but social determinants such as socioeconomic status, culture, lifestyle choices, environment and child development are factors that can move communities away from good health. Population Health students learn to address these determinants, focusing both on prevention of disease, and methods to assist individuals and communities in returning to and maintaining good health. Students may choose areas of focus by selecting electives and internship options in areas of global or local community health. We graduated our first student in spring of 2020 right in the midst of the pandemic. And since I've had eight additional students graduate, all have entered into graduate school for public health or working for community organizations such as Church Health, Christ Community Health Services, or the Baptist Memorial Healthcare system, all right in the local area. We look forward to seeing you at Baptist Health Sciences University in the very near future.
Panoramic video playback may work incorrectly in your browser