This course will familiarize students with health care organizations, the health care system, and the clinical environment in relationship to the student's role as a future health care practitioner. Topics will include the structure, organization, and function of hospital systems and staff; documentation and medical records; professional development and professionalism; the role and function of professional societies and membership; safety and emergency response; body mechanics; HIPAA; infection control; communication in the health care environment in relationship to continuum of care; ethical and legal responsibilities of health care practitioners; current trends in health care; and employment opportunities for health care professionals.

This course offers an overview of the U.S. healthcare delivery system and challenges that confront the industry. It examines legal, technological, economic, political, ethical, and social forces that impact the healthcare industry. Students will learn about the delivery of healthcare services in various settings, as well as the role of government, professional agencies, and other industry related organizations. The allocation of scarce healthcare resources is examined through the lenses of social awareness, civic responsibility, and quasi-market forces. This course also equips students to become informed healthcare consumers and introduces them to healthcare employment opportunities.