Before entering college, it’s probable everyone has gotten the same bit of advice. “The medical field is only growing, if you become a nurse, you’ll definitely get a job.”
The College of Health and Human Services is a booming program at Eastern Michigan University, with programs growing rapidly. Three times the amount of students are enrolled in the college than there were five years ago.
The field is very broad, and a degree from this department can be beneficial in many different areas of work.
The health and human services field focuses on the mental health of people as well as their physical health, and it can be quite fascinating.
There are four different schools in the college: health sciences, health promotion and human performance, nursing and social work.
Paige Scott, 20, is applying to the school of health science’s occupational therapy program this summer. “It’s an exciting field because there are so many settings you can work in as an occupational therapist,” she said. “I’m looking forward to being in a field where I can work with many different people and help improve someone’s quality of life.”
The school of health sciences offers both undergraduate and graduate programs: medical laboratory science, dietetics and human nutrition, health administration and therapeutic recreation for undergraduates and occupational therapy, clinical and research administration, dietetics and human nutrition. and health administration for graduate students.
Athletic training, exercise science, health education, physical education and sports management are the undergraduate programs offered in the school of health promotion and human performance.
Their graduate programs include exercise physiology and orthotics and prosthetics, as well as more in-depth programs in health education, physical education and sports management.
Students studying nursing have the opportunity to become a registered nurse, obtain a Ph.D in nursing education, or an MSN in adult health nursing.
Social work offers a bachelor’s and a master’s degree program, as well as a gerontology certificate.
The job prospects in the healthcare field are growing, and are expected to continue growing up to 23 percent in the coming years.
In addition to the growing need for workers in human services, there is also a constant need for replacements of many different kinds of counselors due to a wave of retirement and leaving the workforce.
Jobs in facilities that serve the elderly and mentally- and physically-impaired are growing. The fairly new concept of adult day care is also becoming more and more popular as an alternative to nursing homes.
“Baby boomers are aging,” Elizabeth Francis, director of the School of Health Science said. “And advances in medical technology help keep people alive longer. It’s creating a boom in the field.”
Students studying in the College of Health and Human Services have the option to join the Beta Delta chapter of Eta Sigma Gamma, the national professional health education honorary.
They motivate and recognize academic achievement, develop new educational strategies to further the profession, conduct scientific research and uphold and develop high professional standards and ethics for members of the profession.
As long as a student has a 2.7 GPA or higher, health education declared as their undergraduate minor, post baccalaureate minor, or graduate major and have completed two semesters at EMU, they are eligible to join.
