Where It All Comes Together University of Kentucky College of Health Sciences
Charles T. Wethington Jr. Building, Rm. 123 900 South Limestone Street Lexington, KY 40536-0200 General Phone: (859) 323-1100 ext. 80480
www.mc.uky.edu/healthsciences
Navigating today’s health care system can be puzzling...
Navigating today’s health care system can be puzzling. If you would like more information on any of these health sciences programs or are interested in applying, please visit us online at:
www.mc.uky.edu/healthsciences or call Student Affairs at (859) 323-1100 Ext. 80473.
Whether you are a student looking into college and career options, a donor wishing to fund research or scholarships or just curious to find out more about health sciences/allied health professions, we want you to find your fit with the UK College of Health Sciences. Every day, students, alumni, teachers, researchers and volunteers from the college are making a difference. Health sciences professionals can be found treating patients in therapy clinics and hospitals, assisting athletes on the field, helping solve fertility concerns, pinpointing radiation doses that will help heal patients with cancer and working side-by-side with physicians in practice. Through this information booklet, our hope is that you will become better acquainted with the college, our academic programs and health sciences professions in general. We invite you to discover health sciences - where it all comes together.
Athletic Training When an athlete gets injured – whether a student, professional athlete, worker performing a physical task or weekend warrior – an athletic trainer is usually the health care professional who treats those injuries. Specifically, athletic trainers specialize in prevention, recognition, evaluation, treatment and immediate care of injuries. The Athletic Training program at the College of Health Sciences seeks to provide academic and clinical experiences that will help students develop the necessary skills to conduct research and increase proficiency in sports injury prevention, education and rehabilitation. We offer the only National Athletic Trainers’ Association Accredited Post-Professional Athletic Training master’s program in the state, which accommodates both NATA certified athletic trainers and NATA “certification eligible” athletic trainers. Students are provided extensive clinical experiences by working with local high school, college or professional sports programs.
Degree offered: Master of Science
Communication Sciences & Disorders Being unable to communicate effectively can be difficult. Adults and children of all ages often experience communication problems due to developmental disabilities, medical conditions, surgery, trauma, overuse or other causes. To help those patients, speech-language pathologists evaluate and treat problems related to speech sound production, comprehension and production of language, voice, stuttering, swallowing and hearing. They also assist in the use of alternative communication systems for those who cannot communicate orally. Speech-language pathologists work in clinics, research, labs, college classrooms, school systems, rehabilitation facilities, home health programs, long-term care facilities and in private practice. The College of Health Sciences offers both a pre-professional undergraduate degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and a master’s degree program in Speech-Language Pathology. Students in the graduate program have the opportunity to serve in a student-run outpatient clinic. They also work in inpatient and outpatient speech-language pathology services for UK HealthCare and a variety of facilities throughout Kentucky.
Degrees offered: Bachelor of Science and Master of Science
Clinical Leadership and Management Some health care professionals enter the working world with a two-year degree in a clinical area. The Clinical Leadership and Management program offers the opportunity for these individuals to complete a four-year degree, which often allows them to seek advancement in their current employment setting. The program teaches leadership and managerial skills and covers relevant topics such as health law, ethics and finance management. It also provides an educational bridge to graduate studies and contributes to a more educated allied health care workforce in Kentucky communities. The program educates students on UK’s main campus in Lexington, Kentucky, but also offers satellite programs throughout the state through distance learning technology.
Degree offered: Bachelor of Science
Clinical Nutrition Good nutrition is essential to good health. Graduates from the college’s Clinical Nutrition program work with individual clients in a clinical or private setting, make nutritional recommendations for the public and conduct research. The Clinical Nutrition program was one of the first programs in the college. The program educates masters and doctoral students in human and medical nutrition and collaborates with the University of Kentucky’s Graduate Center for Nutritional Sciences. Current areas of emphasis include clinical and medical nutrition therapy, obesity, wellness, complementary/alternative medicine and sports nutrition.
Degrees offered: Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Clinical & Reproductive Sciences The Division of Clinical and Reproductive Sciences offers undergraduate and graduate clinical and research programs. On the undergraduate level, the college offers a Bachelor of Science degree in Clinical Laboratory Sciences. These professionals, often called medical technologists, play a key role on the health care team by providing lab results that provide over 70% of the diagnostic information needed to detect and manage disease. Currently, there is a critical shortage of these professionals. Clinical laboratory professionals have diverse responsibilities in the area of analysis and clinical decision-making, information management, regulatory compliance, education and quality assurance. Graduates are able to work in a variety of settings including clinical laboratories, research laboratories, sales and technical positions in laboratory related industries, hospitals and in education. Classes in the undergraduate program may be available at satellite locations throughout the state. The graduate program in Reproductive Laboratory Science (RLS) is designed to prepare entry level embryologists for the field. Embryologists are professionals who study the formation, early
growth and development of living organisms. They also study abnormalities in embryos to help understand why and how this happens. Professionals in this field are highly trained in advanced laboratory techniques where they prepare sperm and egg samples and provide the necessary conditions for fertilization and embryo development in vitro. Graduates of the program are assisted reproductive laboratory technology (ART) and clinical laboratorians, laboratory managers, researchers, ethicists, attorneys and policy analysts. A multidisciplinary Ph.D. in Reproductive Sciences with both research and clinical components was recently developed in the College of Health Sciences. It is the first program of its kind in Kentucky. The program, started in Fall 2009, is designed for scholars planning careers in academics and research. The Ph.D. program prepares basic science researchers for positions in universities or industries.
Degrees offered: Bachelor of Science, Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Human Health Sciences The college will begin accepting students into the Human Health Sciences bachelor degree program in the fall of 2010. The program will prepare students to apply for professional programs in health care. Examples include: • Medicine
• Physician Assistant Studies
• Physical Therapy
• Public Health
The program will consist of a set of foundation courses in health care. Students will then enter individualized tracts of study that compliment their future career aspirations.
Degrees offered: Bachelor of Science
Physical Therapy Physical therapists help relieve pain and restore function and movement to patients who may have had an injury, surgery, illness or birth abnormality. They perform and interpret tests and measurements for muscle strength, nervous system function, joint motion and functional ability. They also develop individualized programs for treating the patient. Physical therapists also instruct patients in the use of wheelchairs, braces, canes, crutches and other devices. The Physical Therapy program in the College of Health Sciences was the first PT program at a public institution in Kentucky. The program is offered on the UK campus in Lexington, but is also offered at the Center for Rural Health in Hazard, Kentucky. The demand for physical therapists throughout the state is high, especially in underserved rural areas. Students have the opportunity to work with diverse populations of all ages in a variety of clinical sites as part of the educational program. Graduates of the program receive a clinical Doctor of Physical Therapy degree (DPT).
Degree offered: Doctor of Physical Therapy
Physician Assistant Studies Physician assistants (PA) practice medicine under the supervision of a licensed medical or osteopathic physician. While the educational program in the College of Health Sciences focuses on primary care, many PAs work in specialty areas of medicine such as dermatology or surgery. PAs are medical directors, commanders of military medical groups and work as health care providers to offer a broad range of diagnostic and therapeutic services. With their supervising physician and medical staff members, PAs help meet an ever growing health care need in Kentucky and throughout the nation. The College of Health Sciences provides the only PA program at a public university in Kentucky. The program is offered on the University of Kentucky campus in Lexington, Kentucky, but is also offered through a satellite program at Morehead State University in Morehead, Kentucky. This helps meet a critical need for more health care practitioners in rural Kentucky. Upon successful completion of the program, students receive a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies. While enrolled, students have the opportunity to participate in outreach activities and are required to complete rotations in different medical settings.
Degree offered: Master of Science
Radiation Sciences The Division of Radiation Sciences is one of few accredited academic programs in medical physics in North America, and the only program of its kind in Kentucky. The program trains medical physicists who lead their profession through clinical service and consultation, technique development and teaching. On the clinical side, medical physicists are involved with patient diagnosis and treatment. For example, these health care professionals plan radiation treatments for cancer patients and are responsible for radiation-producing equipment use and quality assurance. Medical physicists are in demand and receive excellent salaries. The University of Kentucky program has historically specialized in therapeutic medical physics applications. Graduates receive a Master of Science degree.
Degree offered: Master of Science
Rehabilitation Sciences Ph.D. Program The College of Health Sciences has the only rehabilitation sciences doctoral program in the state, offering students from four types of rehabilitation disciplines an opportunity to earn a Ph.D. degree. Graduates of athletic training, communication sciences and disorders, occupational therapy and physical therapy programs are involved in this program, which is based on an interdisciplinary and inter-institutional approach and includes active collaboration with Eastern Kentucky University, Murray State University and Western Kentucky University. Through the Rehabilitation Sciences Ph.D. program, the College of Health Sciences is training scholars/scientists and future faculty members who will address the rehabilitation needs of individuals in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and beyond through research, education and service.
Degree offered: Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Navigating today’s health care system can be puzzling...
Navigating today’s health care system can be puzzling. If you would like more information on any of these health sciences programs or are interested in applying, please visit us online at:
www.mc.uky.edu/healthsciences or call Student Affairs at (859) 323-1100 Ext. 80473.
Where It All Comes Together University of Kentucky College of Health Sciences
Charles T. Wethington Jr. Building, Rm. 123 900 South Limestone Street Lexington, KY 40536-0200 General Phone: (859) 323-1100 ext. 80480
www.mc.uky.edu/healthsciences