Department of Public & Allied Health

The Applied Health Science degree at BGSU gives students a firm foundation in basic and health-related sciences. In addition, the diversified curriculum provides a basic understanding of human diseases, health administration, aging and wellness. The curriculum is flexible, and students are able to choose from various health content areas those courses of most interest to them. The degree provides ample opportunity for students to meet the admission requirements for graduate studies in physical therapy, medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, occupational therapy, physician assistant and public health. The degree also provides students with a comprehensive overview of the health care delivery system allowing them to enter the job market upon graduation in areas such as health education, pharmaceutical and medical equipment sales and health information services.

Six separate specializations exist:

• Health Science - for students seeking masters or post baccalaureate programs such as medical, dental, veterinary, podiatric and chiropractic schools, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and physician assistant
  
  
• Applied Microbiology - for students seeking a career in medical, food, environmental microbiology or biotechnology
  
  
• Allied Health - for students who already hold an associate degree in a health care field
  
  
• Health Care Administration (for students who are looking for a career in the management arena)
  
  
• Community Health (for students interested in disease prevention programs)
  
  
• Respiratory Care (for students with an Associate degree in RC who wish to upgrade)
  

Health Science Specialization
The Health Science specialization is designed to prepare students for entry into a post baccalaureate professional training program in a health related field. The curriculum is centered around essential physical, biological, and social sciences that are fundamental to the allied health professions. This curriculum was developed to meet the needs and academic admission requirements for masters degree and clinical doctorate programs in Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Public Health, Occupational Health, and Physician Assistant.

The Health Science specialization is designed with course choice options that (with the approval of an academic advisor) allows students to tailor their academic program to best fit their career goals. The curriculum will fulfill admission requirements to most medical, dental, veterinary, and graduate programs in biological sciences, when courses are properly chosen.

The Health Science specialization is not intended to provide training or practice in a health related field, and therefore, is not intended to be a terminal degree. Students should consider this specialization in order to prepare themselves academically and competitively for admission to one of the practice-based programs mentioned above. Students who are interested in post baccalaureate programs in Dietetics, Audiology, or Speech Pathology should enter the baccalaureate degree programs in Dietetics, and Communication Sciences and Disorders, respectively. Students seeking preparation for other health related fields should consult the institution offering the program of study in order to determine if the Health Science specialization is an appropriate degree.

Program Requirements and Degree Checksheet

Applied Microbiology Specialization
Microbiologists are employed by medical or clinical laboratories for detection and diagnosis of disease. Public health laboratories use microbiological procedures in testing water supplies for potability and in quantifying incidences of communicable diseases.

Microbiologists work in the public health arena to prevent the spread of communicable diseases such as outbreaks of food poisoning. . They also work in the food, dairy or liquor industries to maintain product quality, and in pharmaceutical companies, which ferment microbes to produce antibiotics. Sanitation laboratories employ microbiologists for the safe treatment of sewage.

Additionally, the small size and simple organization of microorganisms makes them the most effective subjects for studying life at its most fundamental level. Research with microbes has made increasingly important contributions to the understanding of genetics and cancer. Genetic engineering utilizing microorganisms is developing into a major industry.

The course work required of students will allow them, after a year of appropriate employment, to take the qualifying examination of the National Registry of Microbiologists of the American Academy of Microbiology, or the microbiology specialization of the American Society of Clinical Pathology.

An individual with the bachelor of science in applied microbiology may pursue advanced degrees in medical schools or universities to specialize in medical microbiology, clinical microbiology, protozoology, virology, microbial genetics, microbial physiology, immunology, food science or other areas of microbiology. A few additional courses will satisfy the requirements for entrance into medical, dental or veterinary schools.

Program Requirements and Degree Checksheet

Allied Health Specialization
The Allied Health specialization is intended for students who have successfully completed an accredited Associate Degree program in an allied health field. Those courses which comprise the clinical and technical educational component of the AD degree may be used to fulfill up to 40 semester hours of credit toward the baccalaureate degree.

Transfer credit is not limited to technical hours. Courses that transfer as the equivalent of any required general education, core, or supportive requirements may also be applied to the baccalaureate degree. Note that only courses in which the student obtained a grade of C or higher are transferable.

The Allied Health specialization is not intended to provide further technical training or didactic knowledge of specific areas of health care practice. It is intended to provide a general baccalaureate education, and to help students who have a strong technical background enhance their potential for learning by providing the tools needed for problem solving, computing, communication, and understanding the health care system.

Program Requirements and Degree Checksheet

Respiratory Care
The respiratory care specialization is a distance degree completion program for respiratory therapists.  Students complete their required supportive requirements on-line or at the Firelands campus, and their respiratory care practice courses at their workplace or other site approved by the RC program director.  The respiratory care specialization is designed to prepare students for advanced practice in respiratory care. Advanced respiratory care practitioners work in a wide variety of clinical settings to evaluate, treat, and manage patients of all ages with respiratory illnesses and other cardiopulmonary disorders.   Advanced respiratory care practitioners perform diagnostic procedures to assess breathing function and treatments for airway and lung diseases, evaluate the effectiveness of treatments and medications for breathing problems, and provide patient education.

Acceptance into the distance degree completion program for respiratory care requires completion of both an associate degree with a minimum 3.0 GPA, and certification as a respiratory therapist, (CRT or RRT).  Students who are enrolled in a respiratory care program accredited by CoARC may be given permission to enroll in the degree completion program concurrently, but will not be permitted to complete the capstone practice courses (RESP 4710 and RESP 4720) until they have successfully met the requirements for their associate degree and are eligible to take the CRT and RRT certification exams.  For more information about this program contact Rod Roark at 419-372-0865 or email rroark@bgsu.edu.

Program Requirements and Degree Checksheet

Health Care Administration
The health care administration specialization is designed to prepare students to work in management and administration in hospitals, clinics and other organizations providing health care services.  Their roles include aspects of finance, budgeting, billing, human resources management, facilities management, marketing, and quality measurement and improvement.  

The HCA curriculum requires that students complete the courses required for the Minor in Business and a 7-credit hour practicum (420 contact hours) working in a health care management environment.

Program Requirements and Degree Checksheet