As a supplement to the major, many health policy and administration (HPA) students select a minor in Information Sciences and Technology (IST) or Global Health to better prepare them for their career goals.
For Won Il Choi, he selected HPA as a major following the death of his grandfather.
“I was not only sad about the fact that my grandfather passed away, but also upset about the doctor’s attitude toward my family,” Choi said. “The doctor nonchalantly proclaimed in a monotone that my grandfather only had a day or two to live. I understood that her job was tiresome and that she had many patients to tend to, but her insincerity and lack of empathy was evident in her voice and attitude toward us.”
Through studying HPA, Choi also realized inputting patient information efficiently is a crucial part of health care industry. For instance, Electronic Medical Record and Electronic Health Record have become a major part of delivering quality health care services.
“That is the reason why I chose IST as a minor,” Choi said. “Studying HPA alongside IST allows me to learn about cutting edge data science technology while thinking about its relevance to the health care industry. Medical technology is rapidly improving and becoming important to apply new advancements to health care facilities immediately.”
Choi hopes to work in a hospital setting where he can contribute to top quality patient care, high health care facility efficiency, and a welcoming atmosphere for patients.
For Katharine Brodowski, she chose IST as a minor because she believes every college graduate should have basic computer knowledge.
“Many jobs require knowledge of certain IST skills such as SQL (structured query language),” Brodowski said. “As the health care industry is relying more and more on technology, I thought it would be helpful that I already had a background in it. IST and HPA go together well due to the increasing use of databases and networking to improve patient care.”
Student Awele Ajufo selected Global Health as her minor because one of her greatest interests with the HPA major is learning about various different health systems throughout the world with a desire to discover the essential parts of a successful system.
“The Global Health program is a great opportunity to grow my passion for learning about health care throughout the world,” Ajufo said. “The global health minor has significantly grown my knowledge of public health, which is something that has tremendously shaped my future career goals.”
The Global Health minor includes a capstone six-week field work requirement in Senegal, South Africa, or Tanzania. Patrick Hartman, a 2017 HPA graduate, visited South Africa where students observed the local health care system.
“A mainstay of the Global Health minor during the months leading up to the fieldwork experience is learning what it is to be a globally conscious citizen,” Hartman said. “Much of what I learned throughout my academic career became more realistic once I was thrust into the actual setting that it all applies to.”