Master of Health Science (MHS)

Health Care Education

Website: https://www.washburn.edu/academics/college-schools/applied-studies/departments/allied-health/mhs/index.html

Mission

The mission of the Master of Health Science (MHS) in Health Care Education is to prepare existing health care professionals to be effective teachers and leaders who are capable of serving diverse learners within health care organizations and allied health degree programs.

Program Description

The Department of Allied Health offers a master's degree designed specifically for health care professionals interested in building their knowledge and skills in education as well as health care administration. The education emphasis of the degree is relevant to all health care professionals given their role in patient education, mentoring of students, and continuing education. A background in education is also valuable for career advancement into higher education, medical applications training, and community outreach for example. All courses are offered online to meet the needs of adult learners. Part-time and full-time scheduling options are available.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the program students will be able to:

Apply sound strategies and methods in the development of learning experiences that meet the needs of learners.
Develop assessments intended to guide instruction or evaluate effectiveness.
Recognize ethical responsibilities of health care and education professionals.
Analyze issues and trends relevant to healthcare and education practice.
Synthesize information from credible and relevant sources for an applied purpose.

Life Experience

Under no circumstances will academic credit be awarded for life experiences.

Continuous Enrollment

Effective Fall 2016, students pursuing a graduate degree who have completed all degree requirements, and have enrolled in but not completed a capstone, practicum, or thesis, will be required to maintain continuous enrollment at Washburn University until graduation (unless a leave has been approved). Continuous enrollment means that candidates must be enrolled in at least one credit hour until degree requirements are met. If all other course work has been completed, students will be required to enroll in a one-credit-hour class AL 777 Continuous Enrollment each semester until the program is completed. Credit hours completed through the AL 777 Continuous Enrollment will not count toward the credit hours required for graduation and will be recorded as a credit on the transcript. This requirement also applies to the summer term for students whose degrees are being awarded at the end of the summer term. Interruption of continuous registration due to a failure to follow this requirement will result in a need for readmission to the program.

Nondiscrimination

It is the policy of Washburn University and the Department of Allied Health to assure equal educational and employment opportunity to qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, sex, marital or parental status, or sexual orientation.

Admission Requirements

Candidates for admission to the Master of Health Science degree must have completed a bachelor’s degree and have at least two years of work experience in a health care profession. Professional experience includes, but is not limited to the following areas: health care administration, health information technology, occupational therapy, respiratory therapist, physical therapy, radiology, and dentistry.

Candidates are expected to be familiar with Microsoft Office products and meet the technical expectations for online students as outlined at https://www.washburn.edu/its/online-education/tech-tips.html

Admission Procedures

Complete the University Graduate Admissions application. A link to the application can be found at https://www.washburn.edu/academics/college-schools/applied-studies/departments/allied-health/mhs/index.html.
There is no fee to apply.
When prompted select "Degree Seeking"
Applicants will be prompted to upload the following:
- Unofficial transcripts demonstrating completion of a bachelor’s degree. Official transcripts are required only after being admitted. Official transcripts may be sent electronically to etranscripts@washburn.edu or via U.S. mail to: Admissions, 1700 SW College Ave., Topeka KS 66621,
- Resume demonstrating at least two (2) years of work experience in a health care profession.
- One-page educational goal statement addressing how the MHS program will support the candidate for future academic and/or career goals.
Applicants for unconditional acceptance must have achieved a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in the last 60 hours from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning.
Applicants for conditional acceptance must have a cumulative grade point average of 2.75-2.99 on a 4.0 scale in the last 60 hours from a regionally accredited institution of higher learning.

Transfer Credit

A maximum of 9 transfer credit hours may be approved on a case-by-case basis by the MHS Program Coordinator. Only relevant graduate coursework coming from a regionally accredited institution for which a grade of "B" or better was earned will be considered.

Academic Advising

All MHS students are required to consult with the MHS Program Coordinator every semester to decide a course schedule for the coming semester. The student’s Washburn University email address will be the official mode of electronic communication used by the University and Program.

Degree Requirements

Complete 36 hours of course work.
Maintain no less than a “B” (3.0) grade point average in the MHS coursework.
No more than two grades of “C” in the plan of study will count for credit. A student may re-take a course to meet this requirement, but a course may only be retaken one time.
Students will be placed on probation whenever the MHS grade point average falls below 3.0 or two course grades of “C” have been recorded.
Unless the instructor of the course stipulates an earlier deadline, an Incomplete Grade (I) must be completed by the end of two consecutive semesters, which excludes the summer session; otherwise a grade of “F” will be recorded. An incomplete Grade (I) in the practicum course will remain as an incomplete until the practicum course is completed.
At least three-fourths of the semester hours required for the degree must be earned at Washburn University.
Maintain continuous enrollment each regular semester (fall and spring). A minimum of one (1) semester hour of graduate work constitutes continuous enrollment.
Complete degree requirements within six (6) years.

Program Requirements

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
AL 600	Foundations Health Care Education	3
AL 601	Legal/Ethical Issues in Health Care	3
AL 602	Special Populations in Health Care	3
AL 603	Health Care Decision Making	3
AL 620	Research Methods Health Care Profession	3
AL 622	Educational Program Administration	3
AL 624	Assessment Health Care Education	3
AL 626	Instructional Technology	3
AL 720	Curriculum/Instructional Methods Health Care	3
AL 722	Advanced Trends in Health Care	3
AL 724	Capstone I	3
AL 726	Capstone II	3
Total Hours		36

Course Offerings

AL 600 Foundations of Health Care Education (3)

Introduces students to essential aspects of understanding and facilitating adult learning. Students will examine the characteristics, needs, and motivations of adult learners and uncover personal philosophical orientations toward teaching and learning.

AL 601 Legal/Ethical Issues in Health Care (3)

Provides foundational knowledge concerning legal and ethical concepts that guide health care professionals. The primary focus will be on applying ethical theories and legal principles to contemporary health care issues or cases.

AL 602 Special Populations in Health Care (3)

Includes a discussion and analysis of the impact of special populations on the health care delivery system. Major topics will include diverse ethnic populations, rural populations, migrant populations, minority populations and populations defined by diagnosis (e.g., diabetes, etc). This course is designed to acquaint the student with health care delivery implications of globalization in the context of cultural competence.

AL 603 Health Care Decision Making (3)

Decision making is the study of identifying and choosing alternatives based on reducing uncertainty and selecting a reasonable choice based on the values and preferences of the decision maker. Decision making theories, methods, and processes will be studied as well as the application of decision analysis and knowledge-based systems, including data mining, data warehouses, data marts, clinical data repositories, and data modeling. Prerequisite: None.

AL 620 Research Methods in Health Care Education (3)

Introduces students to the general principles of quantitative and qualitative research approaches and prepares students to become critical thinkers and responsible consumers of research. Emphasis is placed on the processes of planning, conducting, and reporting research results focused on the improvement of practice (action research).

AL 622 Educational Program Administration (3)

Focuses on the fundamental elements of educational health professions program planning, assessment, and troubleshooting by examining the activities of Program Directors and Clinical Coordinators. The impact of credentialing, accreditation, and licensure requirements is discussed along with issues related to higher education such as general education requirements, academic advising, grievance/appeal processes, and tenure and promotion.

AL 624 Assessment in Health Care Education (3)

Builds a foundation of classroom assessment literacy focusing on the accurate collection of information about student achievement and its effective use to improve teaching and learning. Students will develop skills and knowledge to formulate measurable learning targets, ensure a match between targets and assessment method, and design various classroom assessments.

AL 626 Instructional Technology (3)

Prepares students to apply theoretical frameworks to evaluate, select, and plan for instructional technology use to facilitate learning. Through practical application students will discover how to integrate technology into instruction and gain an awareness of the benefits and possible challenges of technology use.

AL 720 Curriculum/Instructional Methods in Health Care Education (3)

Explores various conceptualizations of curriculum and the role of educators in the curriculum development process. Instructional design models and various methods of instruction will be examined and applied.

AL 722 Trends in Health Care and Education (3)

Examines significant trends within health care and education practice including the influence of political, social, and economic variables.

AL 724 Capstone I (3)

This is the first of a two course sequence. Provides students with the foundation needed to develop an approved proposal for a comprehensive capstone project that draws upon skills and knowledge acquired in the MHS program and related experiences. The proposed project will be completed in the Capstone II course during the last semester of academic enrollment.

AL 726 Capstone II (3)

This is the last of a two-course sequence. Provides students with the opportunity to integrate and apply knowledge and skills gained from the MHS course of study and other related experiences through the completion of a comprehensive capstone project.

AL 777 Continuous Enrollment (1-3)

This course is to allow students additional time to complete Capstone, Thesis or Practicum requirements. Prerequisites: Instructor Permission

Academic Catalog