Undergraduate Catalog: Health Services Administration Courses

By studying health services administration students will be able to:

1. increase their knowledge of the health care delivery system in the United States;
2. develop a basic knowledge of the distribution and causes of disease;
3. develop relevant administrative skills;
4. increase their knowledge of alternatives to existing health policies in American society.

HSA 425 Children’s Rights and Societal Responses (3)
Analyzes policies and services designed to meet a range of needs and problems experienced by children and their families. Specific areas of analysis include child abuse and neglect, juvenile justice, homelessness, foster care, adoptions, institutional vis-a-vis, community strategies in response to particular problems, impacts of prejudice – discrimination on minority groups, children and families, advocacy, and social change.

HSA 430 Aging: Issues and Perspectives (3)
Examines the biological, psychological, social, and cultural dimensions of aging. Analyzes roles and relationships of older persons and systems that make up their environment (e.g., family, friends, neighborhood, etc.). The contemporary continuum of care in the context of a strengths-based approach is explored. The course also focuses on ageism, stereotyping, advocacy, and social policy change.

HSA 461 Administrative Practicum in Health Care Systems (3)
Involves the student in several field visits to facilities within the health care system. Also involves discussion in seminar of the organization and planning for each of the facilities visited.

HSA 520 Introduction to Health Services Administration (3)
Provides a background on the United States health care system in the areas of administration, history and philosophy of public health, politics, health policy, and planning, finance, evaluation and assessment of medical care, and delivery of services.

HSA 537 Managerial Decision-Making in Health Care Organizations (3)
Examines operational concerns in the area of institutional administration. Included are project planning and constraints, workload forecasting, patient scheduling, facility staffing, quality assurance, utilization review, control mechanism, applications of institutional resources. Includes application of management and administrative skills for the hospital administrator.

HSA 597 Internship (6)
Twelve weeks of full-time employment or its equivalent in a public, human, or health service agency.

HSA 599 Practitioner’s Seminar in Administration (3)
Seminar format designed to develop management skills, including work programming and time management; also covers experiential application of public administration theories and principles with emphasis on observation, analysis, reporting, and communication skills. Career development component directs participants in the process of self-analysis to formulate career goals and strategies.

GER 510 Concepts and Issues in Gerontology (3)
The process of aging and surviving into the “later years” results from a complex interplay of social forces, human systems, and social policies, which impinge upon groups and individuals. This course examines components of social gerontology which view aging as an expression of a societal-institutional structure that “creates” and sustains human beings.

GER 520 Psychological Perspectives on the Aging Process (3)
Provides students with an overview of the variety of psychological theories of aging. Places special emphasis on the adjustment factors of old age.

GER 525 Aging Changes and Health Problems (3)
Introduces students to the primary and secondary biological aging changes. Covers anatomical and physiological changes of all body systems, with special emphasis on health problems arising from these changes and on related social and psychological phenomena.

GER 529 Planning Health Care Services for the Elderly (3)
Acquaints the student with the planning and resources available for meeting the needs of the elderly. Provides the student with a broad knowledge of health services for the aged and their implementation.

GER 530 Nutrition and Gerontology (3)
A study of physiological and biochemical changes of aging persons, nutrition requirements, and dietary management of the geriatric patient.