I've been mulling a big idea over for a few months now and wanted to formally put it on a Sawmill post. You know, since it's the official way to get anything done at SFA.
And not just any college of health, but one that is specifically suited to the needs of East Texas. We are The University of East Texas and our area faces unique health challenges. ETX has trouble attracting doctors, has limited rural hospitals (and fewer every year), and is generally less educated when it comes to health issues.
So I want to create a college of Health within the University. Let me be clear, not a medical school in the traditional sense, but a College of Health. This will span our current degree programs, add new Bachelors, Masters, Associates, & Certificate level programs. New programs will include both health degrees and joint degrees with our business school. The goal is to have a College of Health to get the most bang for your buck and provide local healthcare professionals that don't require an MD degree.
This will be a multi-step process, the first of which is to combine our existing programs under one college.
Phase 1: Initial:
We'll add the following degrees to the start the college of health.
Communication Disorders-Bachelor's
Speech Language Pathology- Master's
Nursing: Bachelor's
Nurse Practitioner: Master's
Rehabilitation Services: Bachelor's
Phase 2: Growth
During the expansion phase, we'll slowly roll out new programs to expand into a full-fledged College of Health by adding the following areas of study
Physician Assistant
Physical Therapy
Dietician/Nutritionists
Technologists
Phase 3: Maturation
During Phase 3, we will expand into ancillary areas that support the healthcare ecosystem.
Joint Degrees:
College of Health/College of Business: Healthcare Administration
CoH/School of Government: Health Policy Degree
Certificates:
Leadership: For nurses, therapists, & other practitioners who are moving into management positions for their departments. Sadly, I see actual leadership & business training lacking in hospitals as people rise to run departments, through no real fault of their own.
Nursing Home Administration: Not really sure if this can be a certificate, but if it can, it should be.
Phase 4: Expansion
This is the wildly ambitious part. Phase's 1 thru 3 involve building a College of Health that serves East Texas by adding medical professionals to the local workforce. It helps SFA by funneling a lot of students into high paying careers with great career growth and opportunities.
Phase 4 involves taking the show on the road. I think long term that SFA should acquire Nacogdoches Memorial as a teaching hospital for our College of Health students. This wouldn't be a traditional residency program, as we're not training doctors, but would provide exceptional on the job experience for our students. It would also provide exceptional healthcare services to our local community.
I also think a chain of local clinics is in order. We could sponsor clinics in most of East Texas to help provide services, education, & manpower for local healthcare.
Overall:
I think this would be huge for the future of SFA & of East Texas. While not a short process or an easy undertaking, this would be a great addition. Thoughts?
And not just any college of health, but one that is specifically suited to the needs of East Texas. We are The University of East Texas and our area faces unique health challenges. ETX has trouble attracting doctors, has limited rural hospitals (and fewer every year), and is generally less educated when it comes to health issues.
So I want to create a college of Health within the University. Let me be clear, not a medical school in the traditional sense, but a College of Health. This will span our current degree programs, add new Bachelors, Masters, Associates, & Certificate level programs. New programs will include both health degrees and joint degrees with our business school. The goal is to have a College of Health to get the most bang for your buck and provide local healthcare professionals that don't require an MD degree.
This will be a multi-step process, the first of which is to combine our existing programs under one college.
Phase 1: Initial:
We'll add the following degrees to the start the college of health.
Communication Disorders-Bachelor's
Speech Language Pathology- Master's
Nursing: Bachelor's
Nurse Practitioner: Master's
Rehabilitation Services: Bachelor's
Phase 2: Growth
During the expansion phase, we'll slowly roll out new programs to expand into a full-fledged College of Health by adding the following areas of study
Physician Assistant
Physical Therapy
- And Physical Therapy Assistants
- And Occupational Therapy Assistants
Dietician/Nutritionists
Technologists
- Radiology Tech
- Surgical Tech
- Cardiovascular Tech
- Medical Sonographer
Phase 3: Maturation
During Phase 3, we will expand into ancillary areas that support the healthcare ecosystem.
Joint Degrees:
College of Health/College of Business: Healthcare Administration
CoH/School of Government: Health Policy Degree
Certificates:
Leadership: For nurses, therapists, & other practitioners who are moving into management positions for their departments. Sadly, I see actual leadership & business training lacking in hospitals as people rise to run departments, through no real fault of their own.
Nursing Home Administration: Not really sure if this can be a certificate, but if it can, it should be.
Phase 4: Expansion
This is the wildly ambitious part. Phase's 1 thru 3 involve building a College of Health that serves East Texas by adding medical professionals to the local workforce. It helps SFA by funneling a lot of students into high paying careers with great career growth and opportunities.
Phase 4 involves taking the show on the road. I think long term that SFA should acquire Nacogdoches Memorial as a teaching hospital for our College of Health students. This wouldn't be a traditional residency program, as we're not training doctors, but would provide exceptional on the job experience for our students. It would also provide exceptional healthcare services to our local community.
I also think a chain of local clinics is in order. We could sponsor clinics in most of East Texas to help provide services, education, & manpower for local healthcare.
Overall:
I think this would be huge for the future of SFA & of East Texas. While not a short process or an easy undertaking, this would be a great addition. Thoughts?