Course Descriptions
Required Core Courses
Introduction to Interprofessional Healthcare
This course presents a general overview of health care in the United States with emphasis on the importance of collaboration among healthcare professionals. Students are given the opportunity to explore a variety of healthcare professions.
Molecular Cell Biology In this course, the molecular and cellular processes common to all eukaryotic cells are studied and, where appropriate, comparisons to prokaryotic cells are made. The molecular and cellular processes of specific cell types and tissue types are also considered, and related to their morphological appearance.
Embryology In this course, the development of the human from conception to delivery is examined. Emphasis is placed on both normal and abnormal development. Supplementary laboratory exercises are provided.
Medical Physiology The course offers the basic principles of organ system physiology. Through lectures, demonstrations, conferences and laboratory work, students receive a quantitative and integrated concept of subcellular, cellular and organ system function.
Topics in Physiology The purpose of this course is to provide state of the art knowledge about the physiological basis for understanding numerous pathophysiological situations in humans.
Medical Biochemistry The fundamental chemical properties and biological reactions of the various compounds important to the normally functioning human organism are studied. As far as possible, mechanisms of life processes at the cellular and molecular level are explained in terms of these properties. Original literature is discussed in conference groups.
Medical Neuroscience This course, designed for both medical and graduate students, provides a broad introduction to modern neuroscience, emphasizing cellular neuroscience, including the neurochemistry of transmitters and receptor function; systems neuroscience, encompassing sensory, motor, affect, memory, language, and other higher cognitive functions; neuroanatomy, taught using a combination of human brain atlases, realistic models, cadaver brains, and interactive computer programs; and clinical neuroscience, focusing on the neural basis of several major neurological and psychiatric disorders.
Clinical Research Track
Critical Inquiry (Research Methodology) Critical Inquiry relates the elements of thought and logic of critical thinking to the principles and methods of scientific inquiry in clinical research.
Practical Statistics Practical Statistics includes descriptive and inferential biostatistics with relevance to clinical research. Conceptual understanding is stressed and students use a statistical program to analyze real clinical data.
Measurement Measurement presents classic and contemporary measurement theory, principles and practices, with applications to clinical research.
Research Ethics Research Ethics presents the principles of research ethics in the clinical biomedical sciences. The ethical considerations of human subject research are stressed.
Healthcare Administration & Management Track
(Students, in consultation with program chair, select 4 of the following 9 courses)
Healthcare Law This course reviews the American legal system as the context within which to consider contemporary medico-legal issues. The course’s intent is to provide a legal framework where healthcare management issues can be explored in collaboration with legal counsel. The curriculum addresses such topics as: professional liability, corporate entity risk considerations, and relevant legislative activities reshaping the healthcare industry and tort reform initiatives. Representative case law and studies will augment the legal theories presented in the course.
Strategic Planning This course is intended to introduce the student to strategic planning in healthcare organizations. The course content provides an overview of the strategic planning process including the elements required to successfully develop and implement short and long-term plans. In addition to application of the elements to a variety of healthcare situations, students will have the opportunity to apply this process to their own educational plan for personal academic success.
Financial Management The course is intended to prepare the student to effectively interact with financial management staff and participate in various aspects of financial control and planning. The curriculum provided an historical perspective of financial management in healthcare, identifying trends in the industry and the forces that influence the financing of healthcare organizations. Financial statements, the interpretation and analysis of financial reports, and topics such as cost-benefit analysis, budgeting, and capital management will also be addressed. Consideration will be given to the cost effectiveness and financial future of healthcare organizations.
Healthcare Delivery Systems The historical evolution of health services provides a backdrop for the core focus of this course: the study of the healthcare system. The curriculum includes an analysis of the current changes in the healthcare environment and the problems affecting the delivery of healthcare in the United States. A study of the process of policy formation underscores the complexity and difficulty of government action. Economic and political approaches to health policy analysis will be discussed. The concepts of cost, access, and quality will be threaded throughout the course.
Marketing Health Care This course will examine critical aspects of marketing management including price, product, promotion, and distribution of healthcare services as well as internal and external forces that impact marketing. The student will be introduced to strategies that provide competitive opportunities to create value for the healthcare organization and improve customer satisfaction.
Leadership & Management This course is designed to assist the student in developing problem-solving skills, personal and interpersonal effectiveness, and appreciation for others’ leadership styles to forge collaborations (i.e., strategic partnering) which are essential to accomplishing the mission and goals of healthcare organizations. Theories of leadership, motivation, power, communication, and conflict management will also be examined and applied. The student will be challenged to develop a profile of oneself as a leader and create an action plan for leadership development. A personal inventory will set the foundation for planned personal and role change.
Practice Management Practice Management offers the essential elements and support for a successful healthcare practice concentrating on facility management and organizational skills. Topics will include the organizational management landscape and management functions such as planning and decision-making, organizing, staffing, and budgeting. This course will also address practical concerns such as committees and teams and human resource management considerations such as training and development, retention and recruitment, and communication. This elective course establishes a foundation for growth and professional opportunity for the health management professional.
Risk & Quality Management This course will explore the risk and quality management processes in depth. The student will be introduced to risk management strategies that reduce the likelihood of harm to people and financial loss in addition to quality management activities to assure that standards are met and to optimize the quality of healthcare. As these functions are interwoven throughout the organization (e.g., information management, medical staff issues, insurance, claims administration, etc.), the concept of risk and quality management as “everyone’s responsibility” will be emphasized.
Health Care Informatics This course will provide an overview of the management of data and information resources critical to effective and efficient healthcare delivery. Course concepts will include: insuring accurate and complete data; coding for reimbursement; ensuring quality of data; analyzing data for decision support, research, and public policy; and the protection of patient privacy and security. Interactions with healthcare entities such as patient care organizations, payers, research and policy agencies, etc. will also be discussed.
Management Ethics The curriculum will provide an overview of bioethics including a broad range of potential concerns in which the healthcare manager may become involved. This encompasses a familiarization with bioethics nomenclature, understanding the ethical decision-making process, and developing an appreciation for the ethical challenges of administrators and clinical practitioners. Legal and risk management issues surrounding ethical dilemmas in healthcare organizations will be examined in addition to the roles of institutional ethics committees and consultants.
Nutrition Track
Carbohydrate and Lipid Metabolism
An in-depth study of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism their integration in the fed, fasted, and refed states and to major disease processes.
Protein and Energy Metabolism A continuation of the topics presented in NUTR 550 Carbohydrate and Lipid Metabolism, starting with protein metabolism and ending with an overview of energy metabolism. Topics to be addressed include protein structure, function, and quality; general properties, kinetics, and mechanisms of action of enzymes; integration of metabolism and the provision of tissue fuels during the fed, fasted, starved, and hypermetabolic states; and the regulation of food intake, body weight/composition and energy metabolism. The latter covers the key components of energy expenditure and methods of measurement.
Evaluating Research An introductory graduate course covering fundamentals of the research process with the desired end result being the ability to critically analyze and interpret published research.
Nutrition Through the Life Cycle This course is an in-depth review of the theory and application of the nutritional requirements and concerns of people during the different stages of the life cycle.
Women’s Health Track
Physiology and Pathophysiology for Women I , II, and III The Physiology & Pathophysiology series of courses covers the normal physiology and pathophysiology of women with emphasis on issues such as mental health, reproductive health, musculo-skeletal health, and normal aging. Cellular and neuronal physiology, muscular skeletal physiology, and cardiovascular physiology will be the focus of the first of these three courses. General pathophysiological mechanisms will be compared to those of special concern to women's health and well-being including breast/ovarian/cervical/uterine cancer, neurological disease, musculo-skeletal disease, and cardiovascular disease. Students will also learn to critique and evaluate current treatments for pathophysiological conditions and integrate them with basic physiological principles to develop appropriate treatment plans. Other courses are selected, through consultation with the Women’s Health faculty, from courses offered in the Master of Science program. Please see the course offerings at http://www.rosalindfranklin.edu/srhs/womenshealth/
Course descriptions are subject to change without prior notice.