Bachelor of Science in Allied Health
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Program Overview
Degree:
Bachelor of Science in Allied Health Degree
Application:
$0 application fee. No essays/exams.
Supporting the efforts of physicians, dentists, or primary healthcare specialists is an exacting and critical job. The Bachelor of Science in Allied Health program will prepare you for success in this field. Coursework includes a broad-based foundation in global and national healthcare issues and trends, ethical and legal issues, health promotion and disease prevention, evidence-based practice, allied healthcare research, healthcare systems management, and healthcare-based informatics. You’ll gain the skills, knowledge, and values to advance in the allied health profession and to work in a variety of settings with diverse patients, families, and communities.
As a graduate, you’ll be ready to seek a supervisory, management, or educational position that is key to the identification, evaluation, and prevention of diseases and disorders. You may opt to work in dietary and nutrition services or rehabilitation and health systems management. Whatever vocational road you choose, this degree will ground you in the knowledge needed to perform at the highest level and for the good of colleagues and patients.
Degree Requirements
To receive a Bachelor of Science degree with a Major in Allied Health, students must complete at least 180 quarter units as articulated below, 45 of which must be completed in residence at National University, 76.5 of which must be completed at the upper-division level, and a minimum 69 units of the University General Education requirements. In the absence of transfer credit, additional general electives may be necessary to satisfy total units for the degree. The following courses are specific degree requirements. Refer to the section on undergraduate admission procedures for specific information regarding admission and evaluation. All students receiving an undergraduate degree in Nevada are required by State Law to complete a course in Nevada Constitution.
National University awards credit in quarter units, with each academic year divided into four 12-week quarters.
Each quarter is made up of three 4-week classes, with one class per month. Under the current policy, 4.5 units of credit are awarded for courses.
Requirements for the Major
10 Courses
Issues & Trends in Healthcare
4.5 Quarter Units
A history of the U.S. health care delivery system will be explored to understand the current issues and trends. The changing roles of the components of the system as well as technical, economic, political, and social forces effecting change will be discussed. Inpatient, outpatient, and long term care will be explored.
Intro to Biomedical Statistics
4.5 Quarter Units
An introduction to concepts, procedures and software used in the statistical analysis of data in the health professions.
Healthy Aging
4.5 Quarter Units
Focuses on the historical and cross-cultural, physiological, psychological, sociological, economic and political aspects of aging. Retirement patterns, living environments, chronic disease and the role of health care professionals will be explored.
Mgmt for Health Professionals
4.5 Quarter Units
Focuses on planning, organizing, decision-making, staffing, leading or directing, communication and motivating health care personnel. Evolving trends in management, classic management theories, budget preparation and justification, training design and labor union contracts are explored.
Legal/Ethical Issues & Health
4.5 Quarter Units
Focuses on legal and ethical concepts, principles of ethics and law and use in resolving ethical conflicts and dilemmas in health care. Scope of practice, informed consent, employee and patient rights and responsibilities, patient abuse, and the influence of finance and corporate culture will be explored. Sample cases will be analyzed.
Health Education & Promotion
4.5 Quarter Units
Focuses on health education, health promotion and clinical preventive services. Strategies for counseling and education, health education theories and practices, and development of learner-centered instructional strategies will be explored. The cost-effectiveness of clinical preventive services will be discussed.
Informatics for Health Profs
4.5 Quarter Units
Focuses on the role of informatics in contemporary health care. Wireless and mobile computing, maintaining data integrity, information security and confidentiality and HIPAA, telehealth, and electronic health records (EHR) will be explored.
Healthcare Research
4.5 Quarter Units
Focuses on reading and conducting research in health and human performance. Research approaches and procedures will be explored. Examples of various research methods and techniques will be discussed. A research proposal will be developed.
Case and Outcomes Management
4.5 Quarter Units
Focuses on case and outcomes management application to clinical practice. The case management and outcomes management processes, barriers, utilization review, legal and financial aspects of each and evidence-based healthcare will be explored.
Allied Health Capstone ProjectÂ
4.5 Quarter Units
Prerequisite: Completion of the major requirements
This two-month capstone project undertaken by allied health students when they have completed the core courses in the program provides an opportunity for the student to complete the outcomes management project proposal developed in HSC 430. Results will be reported orally and in written form. Students will also design and participate in a collaborative service learning experience in a community, ambulatory, home or health care setting. Students will complete the portfolio of their work from core courses and revise as needed to create an impressive final portfolio that can be used. Grading is H, S, or U only.
Students may choose to complete 6 upper-division electives.
Upper-Division Electives
6 Courses
Students must complete a minimum of 27 quarter units (6 courses) of electives to fulfill the upper-division unit requirements for the Bachelor of Science in Allied Health. The following are strongly recommended.
Health Information Exchange
4.5 Quarter Units
Health data standards, sources, representation, terminologies, vocabularies and ontologies to support interoperability of information within and between health care organizations. Health information security practices, privacy, confidentiality, and management of patient rights. Clinical data and process modeling for medical decision making. Policy development and documentation for exchange of health information.
EHR Meaningful Use
4.5 Quarter Units
Introduces electronic health record (EHR) and communication systems including the application of Meaningful Use criteria to optimize quality and effectiveness of patient care and improve care coordination. Explore care delivery innovations across multiple care settings and specialties using a patient-centric model.
Health IT Virtual Simulation
4.5 Quarter Units
Prerequisite: HSC 410 with a minimum grade of C.
Laboratory-based course where administrative and clinical health information systems and technologies are introduced and practiced. Students will gain experience with simulated health information systems or real systems with simulated data.
Chronic & Communicable Disease
4.5 Quarter Units
Prerequisite: ILR 260
Introduction to concepts of pathological process from a public health viewpoint. Consideration of historical and contemporary disease patterns based on an understanding of pathogenic, behavioral, and environmental dimensions.
Culture and Health
4.5 Quarter Units
Prerequisite: ILR 260
Focus is on the influence of culture on illness, health, and rehabilitation. The relationship that culture plays in the health and wellness of both individuals and the community in which they live will be explored.
Health Behavior
4.5 Quarter Units
Prerequisite: ILR 260
Considers the significant influence that individual and collective behavior exerts on health status. Relationships of behavior and social variables are examined, including natural and built environments, economics, and public policy.
Genetics
4.5 Quarter Units
Prerequisite: BIO 163; BIO 169A; CHE 143; CHE 149A
Principles of genetics and heredity. Topics include linkage and pedigree analysis, DNA replication and repair, gene expression and regulation, inheritance of traits, genetic engineering, relationship of genetics to human health, and application of genetics to understanding the evolution of species.
Health Informatics
4.5 Quarter Units
Innovative and best practice technology applications to support human health by individuals, professionals, care delivery organizations, and communities. Internet-based health resources, smart phone/mHealth applications, telehealth, and health-related social networks. Systems, standards, and policies to connect people and technologies securely across healthcare ecosystems.
Intro to HA QA Management
4.5 Quarter Units
Prerequisite: Completion of all Coursework in Preparation for the Major.
Introduction to continuous quality improvement in healthcare. Includes evaluation and risk management methods. Introduces outcome measurement and case management fundamentals. Introduces team development, analytical statistics, and process knowledge themes.
Mgmt Information Systems
4.5 Quarter Units
Overview of core concepts related to the emerging interconnections between technology, the organization, and information management.
Career Outlook
Data Source: The career outcomes data presented is sourced from Lightcast, which provides insights based on real-time job postings, public datasets, and analytics. Lightcast derives its data from sources such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), and the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES). While accurate and reliable, this data reflects general labor market trends and may not represent individual outcomes or specific local conditions. For more details on Lightcast’s methodology, visit their Data Overview.
Here are some careers this degree could prepare you for:
- Top Jobs in this field
- Median Salary (USA)
- JOB Openings (USA)
- Medical and Health Services Managers
- $109,116 avg. salary (USA)
- 59,306 job openings (past yr.) past year
Most desired skills
- Nursing
- Care Coordination
- Medical Records
- Billing
- Electronic Medical Record
- Auditing
- Workflow Management
Top companies hiring for this role
- UnitedHealth Group
- HCA Healthcare
- Elevance Health
- Optum
- Humana
- Johnson & Johnson
- Theoria Medical
- Medical Records Specialists
- $48,688 avg. salary (USA)
- 15,785 job openings (past yr.) past year
Most desired skills
- Medical Records
- Billing
- ICD Coding (ICD-9/ICD-10)
- Medical Billing
- Medical Terminology
- CPT Coding
- Electronic Medical Record
Top companies hiring for this role
- TEKsystems
- HCA Healthcare
- Sharecare
- Intermountain Health
- Baylor Scott & White Health
- Datavant
- Trinity Health
- Health Educators
- $62,627 avg. salary (USA)
- 7,097 job openings (past yr.) past year
Most desired skills
- Health Education
- Nursing
- Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)
- Health And Wellness Coaching
- Public Health
- Diabetes Mellitus
- Mental Health
Top companies hiring for this role
- Gosvea
- YMCA
- Elevance Health
- Swift Safety Institute
- Sharecare
- Wset Certification Classes
- IQVIA
- Medical Assistants
- $41,871 avg. salary (USA)
- 117,194 job openings (past yr.) past year
Most desired skills
- Medical Assistance
- Vital Signs
- Medical Records
- Electronic Medical Record
- Phlebotomy
- Patient Preparation
- Intravenous Therapy
Top companies hiring for this role
- UnitedHealth Group
- Mercy Health
- Geisinger Health System
- Optum
- United States Department of Veterans Affairs
- Corewell Health
- Providence
- Medical Secretaries
- $40,643 avg. salary (USA)
- 90,731 job openings (past yr.) past year
Most desired skills
- Medical Terminology
- Medical Records
- Setting Appointments
- Electronic Medical Record
- Billing
- Copayment Collection And Processing
- Medical Office Procedures
Top companies hiring for this role
- CSL Plasma
- HCA Healthcare
- Trinity Health
- Hackensack Meridian Health
- TEKsystems
- Mercy Health
- CSL
- Community Health Workers
- $48,034 avg. salary (USA)
- 7,753 job openings (past yr.) past year
Most desired skills
- Community Health
- Social Work
- Community Outreach
- Health Education
- Public Health
- Case Management
- Care Coordination
Top companies hiring for this role
- UnitedHealth Group
- Oak Street Health
- Elevance Health
- CVS Health
- Humana
- Geisinger Health System
- Mercy Health
- Social and Community Service Managers
- $76,025 avg. salary (USA)
- 20,398 job openings (past yr.) past year
Most desired skills
- Social Work
- Human Services
- Psychology
- Marketing
- Case Management
- Project Management
- Mental Health
Top companies hiring for this role
- YMCA
- Oak Street Health
- Sodexo
- Homesafe Alliance
- American Red Cross
- HCA Healthcare
- Sunrise Senior Living
Program Learning Outcomes
Learn the key skills to help you excel in your field of study.
- Assess the relative health effects of environment, socioeconomic conditions, behavior, health services, and biology.
- Explain how a team approach that is coordinated, comprehensive, and continuous facilitates successful treatment outcomes.
- Compare and contrast a medical model of healthcare delivery with a health promotion and disease prevention approach.
- Explain the process of active participation in healthcare from a provider, patient, family, and community perspective.
- Assess the impact of effective and ineffective applications of technology in health services.
- Analyze health services from social, workforce, financial, regulatory, technological, and organizational viewpoints.
- Commit to a code of professional ethics when providing services to clients, families and communities under all circumstances.
- Utilize culturally competent strategies and practices that respect the cultural, social, religious, racial, and ethnic diversity of the patient and family regarding disease and their health.
Admissions
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To speak with our admissions team, call (855) 355-6288 or request information and an advisor will contact you shortly. If you’re ready to apply, simply start your application today.
Scholarships and Financial Aid
National University is dedicated to making higher education affordable, as well as accessible. Through NU scholarship offerings, eligible students are able to reduce the financial burden of college, start classes sooner, and finish their programs faster while focusing on achieving their goals.
Accreditations
The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) accredits public and private schools, colleges, and universities in the U.S.
Why National University?
We’re proud to be a Veteran-founded, San Diego-based nonprofit. Since 1971, our mission has been to provide accessible, achievable higher education to adult learners.
Today, we educate students from across the U.S. and around the globe, with over 240,000 alumni worldwide.
“National University has impacted my career. You can immediately apply what you learn in class to your business.”
Francisco R.,
Class of 2016
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Transfer Students Welcome
NU makes it easy to get your degree, even if you started it with another university. Learn more about transferring to NU.
Accelerate Your Career With NU
At National University, you’re part of a family. As a student, you’ll have the support of staff, faculty members, students, and alumni who will be there with you every step of the way, cheering you on as you pursue your goals.
Our network of 240,000 alumni is a large global community that provides our graduates with the professional connections to get a leg up in your new career.
Additional Resources
Program Disclosure
Successful completion and attainment of National University degrees do not lead to automatic or immediate licensure, employment, or certification in any state/country. The University cannot guarantee that any professional organization or business will accept a graduate’s application to sit for any certification, licensure, or related exam for the purpose of professional certification.
Program availability varies by state. Many disciplines, professions, and jobs require disclosure of an individual’s criminal history, and a variety of states require background checks to apply to, or be eligible for, certain certificates, registrations, and licenses. Existence of a criminal history may also subject an individual to denial of an initial application for a certificate, registration, or license and/or result in the revocation or suspension of an existing certificate, registration, or license. Requirements can vary by state, occupation, and/or licensing authority.
NU graduates will be subject to additional requirements on a program, certification/licensure, employment, and state-by-state basis that can include one or more of the following items: internships, practicum experience, additional coursework, exams, tests, drug testing, earning an additional degree, and/or other training/education requirements.
All prospective students are advised to review employment, certification, and/or licensure requirements in their state, and to contact the certification/licensing body of the state and/or country where they intend to obtain certification/licensure to verify that these courses/programs qualify in that state/country, prior to enrolling. Prospective students are also advised to regularly review the state’s/country’s policies and procedures relating to certification/licensure, as those policies are subject to change.
National University degrees do not guarantee employment or salary of any kind. Prospective students are strongly encouraged to review desired job positions to review degrees, education, and/or training required to apply for desired positions. Prospective students should monitor these positions as requirements, salary, and other relevant factors can change over time.
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