November 19, 2008

Health Care Management earns certification

by Christi Mathis

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Health Care Management program has earned status as a Full Certified Undergraduate Member of the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA).

SIUC is the only AUPHA-certified undergraduate Health Care Management program in the state and one of just a few in the Midwest, according to Patrick Rivers, program director and professor in the School of Allied Health, part of the College of Applied Sciences and Arts.

“We are quite happy the program received certification,” said Paul D. Sarvela, dean of the College of Applied Sciences and Arts. “This speaks well for our faculty and our students. This is very important not only for the on-campus program but for the off-campus program. The Navy, in particular, wants its officer candidates to graduate from an accredited program.”

The AUPHA board of directors recently approved the certification that is effective until 2011. Rivers said SIUC’s program underwent a rigorous external accreditation-type review process. The University performed an extensive and detailed self-study as part of the process. Sarvela, Rivers and Charla J. Lautar, director of the School of Allied Health, all traveled to Washington D.C., during summer 2008 in conjunction with the certification process.

An external review team examined all aspects of the SIUC program, including curriculum, faculty, educational outcomes, student and employer satisfaction and other factors.

“Certification by AUPHA not only testifies to the excellence of the SIUC Health Care Management program, but it also presents a powerful marketing tool for the University,” Rivers said. “This certification attests to the fact that we have a quality program producing quality graduates and is a testimony not only to the program, but also to the University.”

Using a multidisciplinary curriculum, the Health Care Management program has been preparing students for careers in the fast-growing fields of health management or health policy for nearly 25 years. The bachelor’s program also incorporates an internship.

Rivers said current enrollment is about 200 on campus and 600 at off-campus locations. Program graduates are in supervisory and administration posts at assorted health and medical facilities including hospitals, nursing homes and public health departments.