Doctor of Health Science (Fall 2020)

GENERALIST CURRICULUM

The generalist D.H.Sc. program requires completion of a minimum of 55 semester hours of coursework. This includes 44 semester hours didactic coursework, 9 semester hours practical coursework, and 2 semester hours for the Doctoral Objective Analysis.

During the generalist course of study, the student must complete a practicum and internship approved by the D.H.Sc program director and practicum faculty members in an area of health care including, but not limited to, health care leadership, education, policy or delivery.

At the standard pace established by the program, the course of study can be completed in three years. It is required that all coursework be completed within seven years.

Core Courses - Block 1

Four of the following are required; either DHS 8090 or DHS 9095 may fulfill the Health Policy requirement. Either 8040 or 8045 will fulfill the Ethics requirement. You must complete 1 policy and 1 ethics course, unless you obtain program director approval. Courses not taken as requirements may be used as electives.

course name	semester hours
DHS 8000: Professional Competencies in the Clinical Care of Diverse Populations This course focuses on issues and information relating to the general epidemiological concerns, health care disparities and specific health and disease issues involved in the care of both culturally-based diverse populations (African American, Native America, Asian and Asian sub-populations, and Latino-Hispanic populations); and other non-ethnic special populations (homeless, uninsured, indigent, disabled, incarcerated, rural, inner-city, GLBT, geriatric, pediatric and others.	4
DHS 8030: Community Health Promotion and Disease Prevention This course develops the knowledge and skills needed to work with communities to improve health status of the community. Major topics will include health promotion and disease prevention. Special emphasis will be placed on the "Healthy People 2020" initiatives.	4
DHS 8040: Professionalism and Health Care Ethics This course is an in depth study of the concepts of health care ethics. The course of study analyzes the differences between ethics and law and examines the core values and beliefs of medical professionalism. Methods of ethical analysis and review of current case studies will be used in critical discussions of ethical dilemmas faced by health care personnel in areas such as cloning, organ transplantation, and the implications of the Human Genome Project. The student will explore the personal values, professional standards, and institutional guidelines which define the roles and responsibilities of the health care practitioner.	4
DHS 8090: Health Policy, Planning and Management This course critically examines the dynamics of healthcare in the U.S. The student is expected to analyze the healthcare industry and contrast non-profit and for-profit healthcare delivery systems. A critical exploration of the ramifications of healthcare reform and the impact on institutions and individuals will be undertaken. The concepts of cost containment, and long-term care will be analyzed.	4
DHS 8095: Global Health Policy Globalization affects all sectors including health care and understanding the key policy issues is essential in the study of global health. This course, taught from a clinical perspective, examines the health policy issues confronting international health organizations, governments and specific populations. It reviews the processes that influence the development and implementation of policies, and examines specific topics related to HIV/AIDS, poverty/nutrition, infectious disease, smoking, concerns of women and children and other global major health concerns.	4
DHS 8110: Community Environmental and Occupational Health Issues such as air and water quality and waste management will be examined. OSHA will be examined and analyzed for its impact on health and health care. Trends in environmental and occupational health legislation will be examined for their impact potential.	4

Core Courses - Block 2

Two of the following courses are required. The other courses may be omitted or used as electives.

course name	semester hours
DHS 8400: Global Health Issues Global healthcare is an emerging priority for health professional education programs, and clinical practice. It is essential for all healthcare professionals to understand the impact of global health issues on health care and international economic stability. This course explores the many facets of global health to expose the student to the complexity of the concepts that impact healthcare in developing and developed countries.	4
HSP 9006: Evidence-Based Medical Practice This course provides a working knowledge of evidence based medicine. Cases will be used as the backbone of this course to assist the student in analyzing data to justify the treatments used in clinical practice. Students will also learn how to critically appraise the literature, evaluate diagnostic test performance, design clinical pathways and standards of care, and implement evidenced based medicine findings in their own clinical or administrative setting.	4
DHS 8750: Patient Safety Leadership plays a key role in adopting practices to promote patient safety and leaders should have the skills necessary to be effective in the implementation of these practices. This course will focus on patient safety through a study of safety-oriented leadership, organizational culture, human factors, decision making science, communication, and a systems approach to health care delivery. Current best practice models and the latest professional literature emphasizing patient safety will be featured.	4
DHS 8190: Health Care Education This course explores the various theories and applications of adult education in the practice of training, pre-professional education, and post-professional education of medical personnel. Critical analysis of the different methods of teaching and training healthcare professionals is accomplished through discussion, research, investigation, journal development and assignments.	4
DHS 8800: Health Care Informatics This course will focus on available and future methodologies and technologies for the processing, archiving, analysis and transmission of data, information, and knowledge in the medical and healthcare setting.	4
DHS 8810: Global Epidemiology This course emphasizes the underlying concepts of the epidemiologic approach as it relates to pertinent global health issues. The student will be introduced to principles and methods of epidemiologic research. These include study designs, measures of frequency, association, impact and sources of error. Application to global health and public health strategies for disease prevention, surveillance and controls are discussed.	4

Experiential (All Required)

All courses in this block are required, total is 9 credit hours.

Note: Students are required to register for DHS 8125 in their second term in the program. DHS 8130 is a prerequisite for DHS 8140, consequently, the courses may not be taken concurrently.

course name	semester hours
DHS 8125: Preparation Forum Students should enroll in this course within one to two semesters of matriculation into the DHSc program. This is a 1-credit course in which students work closely in a one-on-one fashion with the course instructor/mentor to develop appropriate learning objectives and experiential plans for the internship (8130) and a substantial developmental project for the practicum (8140). Together, the internship and practicum form the capstone of the program. Attention is also paid to appropriate preparation for the form and style of the written deliverables of the internship and practicum and appropriate timelines for completion. Successful completion of 8125 will include the following: completion of APA style quizzes, approval of topic for DHS 8130 at least one semester prior to enrollment, approval of topic for DHS 8140 one to two semesters prior to enrollment, and completion of an error-free proposal for 8140 at least one to two semester prior to enrollment. Students will be continuously enrolled in 8125 until all three tasks are accomplished	1
DHS 8130: Internship This course is the capstone of the program. The student will perform an internship at a community health care institution, clinic, educational facility, etc., which is approved in the DHS 8125 course at least one semester prior to enrolling in DHS 8130. The student should spend a minimum of 80 clock-hours learning skills from a mentor. Examples of acceptable internship experiences include teaching assistantships to learn on-site or online teaching skills, volunteering at non-profit organizations to learn about particular topics in health promotion and disease prevention, or shadowing an executive to learn leadership and executive skills among other experiences. Students on the global track must have an internship experience that has an international basis. The student will write a report that describes the institution, defines the population served, and details the health promotion activities observed. A critical evaluation should be made that details strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to the institution in order to analyze if the skills delineated were able to be learned.	4
DHS 8140: Practicum The practicum is a written project that is developmental in nature. The practicum project must be approved in the DHS 8125 course one to two semesters prior to enrolling in DHS 8140. Enrollment in the practicum course must be preceded by a proposal that contains the project idea and a preliminary literature review, which will be written in the DHS 8125 course at least one to two semesters prior to enrolling in DHS 8140. The student will be required to choose a health promotion topic and create a health promotion program or educational resource that can be used for a community education program. An implementation and evaluation plan must be included in the final product. Examples of appropriate educational resources include developing a presentation for a national conference, developing a presentation for an in-service, or developing a course curriculum. Students on the global track must have an international basis for the project.	4

course name

semester hours

DHS 8125: Preparation Forum

Students should enroll in this course within one to two semesters of matriculation into the DHSc program.

This is a 1-credit course in which students work closely in a one-on-one fashion with the course instructor/mentor to develop appropriate learning objectives and experiential plans for the internship (8130) and a substantial developmental project for the practicum (8140). Together, the internship and practicum form the capstone of the program. Attention is also paid to appropriate preparation for the form and style of the written deliverables of the internship and practicum and appropriate timelines for completion. Successful completion of 8125 will include the following: completion of APA style quizzes, approval of topic for DHS 8130 at least one semester prior to enrollment, approval of topic for DHS 8140 one to two semesters prior to enrollment, and completion of an error-free proposal for 8140 at least one to two semester prior to enrollment. Students will be continuously enrolled in 8125 until all three tasks are accomplished

DHS 8130: Internship

This course is the capstone of the program. The student will perform an internship at a community health care institution, clinic, educational facility, etc., which is approved in the DHS 8125 course at least one semester prior to enrolling in DHS 8130. The student should spend a minimum of 80 clock-hours learning skills from a mentor. Examples of acceptable internship experiences include teaching assistantships to learn on-site or online teaching skills, volunteering at non-profit organizations to learn about particular topics in health promotion and disease prevention, or shadowing an executive to learn leadership and executive skills among other experiences. Students on the global track must have an internship experience that has an international basis. The student will write a report that describes the institution, defines the population served, and details the health promotion activities observed. A critical evaluation should be made that details strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to the institution in order to analyze if the skills delineated were able to be learned.

DHS 8140: Practicum

The practicum is a written project that is developmental in nature. The practicum project must be approved in the DHS 8125 course one to two semesters prior to enrolling in DHS 8140. Enrollment in the practicum course must be preceded by a proposal that contains the project idea and a preliminary literature review, which will be written in the DHS 8125 course at least one to two semesters prior to enrolling in DHS 8140. The student will be required to choose a health promotion topic and create a health promotion program or educational resource that can be used for a community education program. An implementation and evaluation plan must be included in the final product. Examples of appropriate educational resources include developing a presentation for a national conference, developing a presentation for an in-service, or developing a course curriculum. Students on the global track must have an international basis for the project.

Summer Residential Institutes (All Required)

All courses in this block are required, total is 12 credit hours.

course name	semester hours
DHS 8010: Statistics and Research Methods This course allows the student to develop an understanding through critical analysis of the basic research methods utilized in healthcare. Students will be taught how to critically analyze medical information and perform effective literature reviews.	4
DHS 8071: Conflict Resolution for Health Care Leaders (starting with Winter 2021 Institute) This course examines and analyzes the nature and dynamics of human conflict within healthcare leadership and management. Various methods and theories of leadership and management, both in and out of healthcare, and their impact on productivity, profitability and employee satisfaction will be explored. Learners will acquire and engage practical strategies to improve leadership skills applicable in a variety of settings. Additionally, critical analysis of the different types of approaches to mitigating conflict in healthcare leadership will be required to research, develop and evaluate diverse practice environments and their role in health outcomes. Through the completion of various assignments, the learner will be expected to demonstrate mastery of the subject matter via application of the theories and information presented in the assigned readings, participation in the discussion board and other learning activities.	4

course name

semester hours

DHS 8010: Statistics and Research Methods

This course allows the student to develop an understanding through critical analysis of the basic research methods utilized in healthcare. Students will be taught how to critically analyze medical information and perform effective literature reviews.

DHS 8071: Conflict Resolution for Health Care Leaders (starting with Winter 2021 Institute)

This course examines and analyzes the nature and dynamics of human conflict within healthcare leadership and management. Various methods and theories of leadership and management, both in and out of healthcare, and their impact on productivity, profitability and employee satisfaction will be explored. Learners will acquire and engage practical strategies to improve leadership skills applicable in a variety of settings. Additionally, critical analysis of the different types of approaches to mitigating conflict in healthcare leadership will be required to research, develop and evaluate diverse practice environments and their role in health outcomes. Through the completion of various assignments, the learner will be expected to demonstrate mastery of the subject matter via application of the theories and information presented in the assigned readings, participation in the discussion board and other learning activities.

Electives

Three of the following should be taken.. Block 1 and Block 2 courses may be substituted for these courses. Please check with the program.

course name	semester hours
DHS 8100: Alternative and Complementary Medicine This course examines and analyzes alternative and complimentary medicine and their impact on the healthcare industry. The approach to the subject is to present selected alternative and complimentary medicine fields in an informative, non-judgmental format.	4
DHS 8180: Medical Writing This course examines in practical terms the elements required for the successful publication of a journal article or clinical case review. Methods of document preparation, proper word and punctuation use, and the requirements for authors of biomedical journal articles will be discussed.	4
DHS 8200: Independent Study A The course is a self-directed, faculty-supervised experience for the student. The student will be required to develop a proposal regarding the topic of study, a learning contract with specific objectives and a plan of action to include methods of obtaining the information and the material produced to demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the subject areas. A faculty member will be assigned to the student for the supervised study and will follow the approved learning contract for successful completion of the course. The purpose of this course is to allow the student to explore an area of interest in the field of health care or health sciences. The secondary benefit of the course is to allow the student, with the assistance of the faculty, to develop and complete a doctoral level course of study.	1-4
DHS 8250: Independent Study B This course is a self-directed, faculty supervised experience for the student. The student will be required to develop a proposal regarding the topic of study, a learning contract with specific objectives and a plan of action to include methods of obtaining the information and the material produced to demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the subject areas. A faculty member will be assigned to the student for the supervised course. The purpose of this course is to allow the student to explore an area of interest in the field of health care or health sciences. The secondary benefit of the course is to allow the student, with the assistance of the faculty, to develop and complete a doctoral level of study.	1-4
DHS 8700: Comparative International Health Systems The purpose of this course is to provide an introduction to the principles, structure, and function of international health systems through a comparative analysis of various countries' health care systems. The course will explore how national systems have evolved and how countries confront the emerging issues in healthcare. The course will explore and develop a systematic comparative analysis of the evolution, administrative structures, societal choices, financing, and provision of health care services in underdeveloped, developing, and developed countries.	4
DHS 8775: Survey of Health Law This course is designed to introduce DHSc students to health law, or law as it affects the professionals and institutions that deliver health care in the United States. The course focuses on the traditional areas of concern for courses on health law, including: 1) access to health care; 2) the cost of health care; 3) the quality of health care; and 4) protection of the person of the patient.	4
DHS 8835: Telepresence Telehealth involves any technology mediated communication that facilitates health services, such as the exchange of information in coordinating patient care. Progress with telehealth development is progressing rapidly, and health care professionals who are tele practitioners require a skill set specific to the delivery of health care via technology. This course explores the delivery of health care via technology, and examines the considerations necessary for telehealth encounters and delivery. The course focuses on telepresence, and special considerations in the use of technology for health care delivery. Upon completion of the course, students will be able to apply concepts to telehealth encounters that promote positive patient encounters and outcomes when utilizing a telehealth platform for delivery of care.	4
DHS 8900: Narrative Medicine There is great value in listening to patient narratives and reflecting upon what is communicated through these stories about health, illness, suffering, and recovery. In this course, students will explore written forms of patient narratives as well as multimedia presentations, movies, music, song and visual arts to improve their understanding patient experiences. Students will learn how to enhance their own listening, self-reflection and communication skills, and in the process, they will develop narrative competencies that emphasize empathy, compassion and other affective components of quality care. The course will explore ways in which a study of the medical humanities contributes to a deeper understanding of personal and social features that affect the quality of patient care.	4
Any additional transfer credits. (Up to 8 hours of Doctoral Level coursework may be transferred)

Capstone (Required)

course name	semester hours
DHS 8120: Doctoral Analysis In this faculty-supervised project, and the capstone of the program, the student will develop a paper using the objectives from the core courses and 1 elective as guidelines and references to form the basis of the paper. This will require research in to teaching and learning methods as well as online and in class comparisons. The outcome or final product will be an in-depth analysis of the information presented and the knowledge gained during the doctoral program. This paper will also include methods for improving the program of study in the DHSc and detailed methods to be used to deliver the proposed changes.	2

course name

semester hours

DHS 8120: Doctoral Analysis

In this faculty-supervised project, and the capstone of the program, the student will develop a paper using the objectives from the core courses and 1 elective as guidelines and references to form the basis of the paper. This will require research in to teaching and learning methods as well as online and in class comparisons. The outcome or final product will be an in-depth analysis of the information presented and the knowledge gained during the doctoral program. This paper will also include methods for improving the program of study in the DHSc and detailed methods to be used to deliver the proposed changes.