HSCS 1110 Introduction to Health Sciences

This course introduces the basic components of health science professions, including the roles, responsibilities, employment options, and skills used by athletic trainers and other allied healthcare professionals. Evidence-based practice principles, ethical decision making, basic medical terminology, and use of medical records are also included. A minimum of 25 hours of clinical observations are required for students applying to the Athletic Training Program.

Credits

3

Typically Offered

Demorest Campus: fall, spring

Student Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes:

Students will define the legal, moral, and ethical parameters that define the athletic trainer’s scope of acute and emergency care and differentiate their role, responsibilities, preparation, and scope of practice from other pre-hospital care and hospital-based providers within the context of the broader healthcare system.

Students will Identify and explain the statutes that regulate the privacy and security of medical records.

Students will describe federal and state infection control regulations and guidelines, including universal precautions, for the prevention, exposure, and control of infectious diseases, and discuss how they apply to the practicing of athletic training.

Students will identify key regulatory agencies that impact healthcare facilities and describe their function in the regulation and overall delivery of healthcare.

Students will identify and explain the components of a pre-participation examination that allow identifying conditions that might predispose the athlete to injury or illness.

Students will describe common health insurance models, insurance contract negotiation, and the common benefits and exclusions identified within these models.

Students will describe the role of strategic planning as a means to assess and promote organizational improvement and use its concepts as part of healthcare facility design.

Students will explain and practice components of the budgeting process including: purchasing, requisition, bidding, request for proposal, inventory, profit and loss ratios, budget balancing, and return on investments.

Students will summarize the athletic training profession’s history and interpret the roles and functions of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, the Board of Certification, the Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education, and state regulatory boards.

Students will explain the role and function of state athletic training practice acts and registration, licensure, and certification agencies and how to obtain and maintain those credentials.

Students will access, analyze, and differentiate between the essential documents of the national governing, credentialing and regulatory bodies.

Students will describe the role of exercise in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and preventing chronic disease.

Students will describe the psychological and emotional responses to a catastrophic event, the potential need for a psychological intervention and a referral plan to various mental healthcare providers for all parties affected by the event.

Students will identify injury/illness risk factors associated with participation in competitive athletics and related components of a comprehensive athletic injury and illness prevention program.

Students will describe signs and symptoms of injuries and illnesses commonly sustained by the competitive athlete and the steps taken to administer proper initial care and medial referral.

Students will locate injury evaluation and rehabilitation program components for injuries/illnesses sustained by athletes.

Students will identify health care information appropriate to give to athletes, parents and coaches on matters pertaining to the physical, psychological and emotional health and well being of the student-athlete and use it to create educational materials.