University of Southern Indiana Board of Trustees approves new degree program and two certificate programs in various health programs

The University of Southern Indiana Board of Trustees has approved a new Bachelor of Science degree program out of the College of Nursing and Health Professionals, two undergraduate certificates, and a new post-graduate certificate. The approval was made at a regular meeting of the Board of Trustees on March 3. Of these four programs, three are in healthcare-related fields. 

According to a press release from the University, the degree program is a Bachelor of Science in Diagnostic Medical Sonography (DMS) and will be held in the College of Nursing and Health Professionals. The program is currently part of another major (Radiologic and Imaging Science), but will now have its own dedicated program with available specializations in the four sonographic concentrations: vascular, cardiac, obstetrics and gynecology, and abdominal-extended sonography. It will be the fourteenth program to be accredited for a Bachelor of Science degree in the country. 

The decision to separate the DMS program into its own dedicated major was based on student enrollment, trends in the profession, and future staffing capabilities, as well as the notion that DMS and Radiology are not closely related enough fields of study to reasonably be contained within one major. 

The DMS program will be offered as a largely in-person program, but will allow for some hybrid or online options. It will be a 120-hour program and will include simultaneous lab, clinic, and lecture courses. 

Before the degree program can start, it must first be reviewed by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education, and will then start being offered in the Fall 2023 semester.

In addition to the DMS degree course, the University of Southern Indiana has also added an Activity Professional certificate program. This will begin in the Fall semester of 2022 and is a ten-hour-long hybrid format program offering coursework in person and online.
 
The Activity Professional certificate program is part of the Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program objectives. The GWEP program is intended “to improve health outcomes for older adults in underserved communities of southwest Indiana by developing a workforce to maximize patient and family engagement and integrate geriatrics into primary care,” according to the University of Southern Indiana’s website. 

Activities Professionals “plan and oversee recreational events and programs most commonly in a facility for the elderly or disabled,” and “create and lead activities like arts and crafts, music, dance, and sports to develop their social skills and promote active, healthy lifestyles,” according to Ziprecuiter.

The Board of Trustees also approved a Post-Graduate Certificate in Health Informatics as part of the Master of Health Administration program that will begin in the Fall semester of 2022. The certificate program is a 12 credit hour offering. It will consist of four lecture courses and will be offered online. 

This certificate will be useful to students who are healthcare professionals who desire additional knowledge in health informatics and non-healthcare professionals wishing to better understand healthcare and its data usage and technology. 

The fourth certificate course, which is not a medical course, is a College of Business certification in Supply Chain Management.