HSC 2000 Health Science Electives and Specialty
Health Science elective and specialty credits can be satisfied by transfer credit, or through taking courses at Labouré College.
Students with current healthcare certifications may be earn equivalency credits from their prior certification program, receive transfer credit for prior college coursework in the health sciences, or choose from a selection of electives and tracks at Labouré. Students who need to take these credits at Labouré College will choose from a selection of elective options and/or career specialty track options.
Specialty Track Options:
EKG Technician Track - 9 credits
EKG stands for electrocardiogram. EKGs are recordings of electrical signals sent out by the heart. EKG technicians are healthcare professionals who administer non-invasive tests to assess the cardiovascular system of patients. The duties associated with EKG technicians include performing diagnostic tests on patients, blood pressure monitoring, patient preparation, appointment scheduling, and maintaining patient medical records.
This track prepares students for job placement in hospitals, physician offices, and more. Students study the anatomy and physiology of the heart, circulatory system, and conduction system in detail. The EKG, heart, circulation, and conduction must be covered with appropriate terminology and abbreviations with appropriate knowledge of equipment, proper lead placement, reading of EKG waves, arrhythmias and blocks, calculations, codes, and markings. Students learn by a combination of academic and practical application with a required completion of 10 EKG tracings in a laboratory setting.
Upon successful completion of the EKG technician course of study, students are eligible to sit for a national EKG certification exam.
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Gerontology Track - 9 credits
This track provides students with foundational concepts in aging and adult development and identify the many career opportunities in the field of gerontology. This contemporary curriculum begins by exploring healthy aging from bio-psycho-social perspectives and highlights the social determinant of health that affect an individual aging pathway. Students gain individual insight on their own aging and a vision of professional competencies needed to work with older adults. Exploring health disparities is critical to understanding risk factors that impact aging and a health equity goals will be introduced early in the program and explored in depth in the second course of the sequence. This track will also address the continuum of care that older adults navigate, from community dwelling to end of life care decisions. Special emphasis will be placed at the end of the track on funding sources available to older adults, as they encounter the continuum of care and the health care professional’s roles and responsibilities.
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Phlebotomy Track - 9 credits
Phlebotomists are professional clinical team members within the healthcare system whose primary responsibility is to procure blood and other specimens for diagnostic testing.
This track prepares students for job placement in hospitals, physician offices, and more. Students are introduced to the clinical laboratory and phlebotomy with the exploration of how these areas contribute to the healthcare system, including: history of phlebotomy, hospital organization, legal and ethical concerns in healthcare, regulatory agencies and quality assurance, safety, infection control, and phlebotomy basics. Students learn by a combination of academic and practical applications and culminate their experience with a clinical practicum at a clinical affiliate.
Upon successful completion of the phlebotomy course of study, students are eligible to sit for the American Society of Clinical Pathology Phlebotomy Technician Certification Exam.
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Notes
These 13 - 15 credits may include a combination of elective courses, specialty track courses, and/or transfer credit.
Specialty tracks are 9-credit bundles of courses that allow the student to specialize in a particular area of health. Some specialities allow the student to sit for a national board exam. Students who already hold a healthcare credential may be eligible for equivalency credit, and may not elect to take a specialty track as part of their associate degree. Students who do not have a healthcare credential may elect to choose one or more of the specialty tracks offered.
Students who select a speciality track and still need elective credits to earn their degree may select additional specialty tracks, or a selection of courses from within the tracks, to satisfy elective requirements.