Doctor of Science (DHSc/DMSc) Courses

Students in the Doctor of Science (DHSc/DMSc) programs can pursue a doctor of healthcare science (DHSc) or doctor of medical science (DMSc) with the following courses.

Please note that four-semester DHSc/DMSc students have the option to present their doctoral projects in person at the Pacific University IPEL Conference or remotely via Zoom.

HCSCI 725 - Leadership, Ethics, and Advocacy

3 credits
Offers students fresh insights into the roles, challenges, and decision-making of healthcare leaders, focusing on leadership styles in communities, and exploring relationships between different approaches to leadership in contemporary contexts. Leadership processes, self-awareness and skills necessary to lead, ethical considerations, and managing strategic change are emphasized. Students will learn to grapple with ethical issues regarding program administration, financial constraints, globalization, and advances in technology. Students also will practice with the tools, models, and processes regarding advocacy for social change, and understand how public policy can impact social movements. Personal development of each student’s own advocacy skills is emphasized.

HCSCI 745 – Strategies for Quality Improvement in Healthcare

3 credits
During this course, students will become familiar with the components of The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) curriculum to prepare them to lead the development and sustainability of quality management programs. Students will develop skills in evaluating the quality of healthcare data (collection and analysis) while applying industry-standard metrics to determine clinical quality and patient safety outcomes. Students will consider how and when to implement RCQI and PDSA cycles, while ascertaining root-cause for systematic improvement. Students will consider the legal aspects of quality assurance and quality improvement practices, while considering the importance of advocacy for change within diverse healthcare settings.

HCSCI 735 - Diversity, Equity, & System Thinking

3 credits
This course prepares students to address the diversity of problems and issues they will confront as scholar practitioners and healthcare administrators in an increasingly complex and dynamic world. Students will design flexible structures and use transformational leadership strategies to promote their success in dynamic environments. Strategic planning will be highlighted as a means of establishing both short-term and long-term goals across systems.

HCSCI 715 - Professional as Researcher & Writer

3 credits
Introduces the language of research and the art of professional writing for peer-review publication. Students will practice scholarly writing skills and demonstrate a thorough understanding and interpretation of scholarly works. The course will stress the importance of academic writing practice for dissemination and publication. Students will be mentored through the project development and proposal process as they learn to apply, translate, and disseminate research into their professional practices. Students will develop a proposal that is a comprehensive and in-depth case study revolving around a clinical or administrative question that they wish to investigate. 

HCSCI 710 – Organizational Strategies for Interprofessional Healthcare Leadership

3 credits
Concepts of leadership related to current healthcare organizations are examined. Specific concepts including effective interprofessional communication, public relations and marketing, team building, the art of negotiation, and conflict resolution are explored. Students will consider the strategic aspects of leadership, while determining their own leadership style. Strategies for managing uncertainty within healthcare systems will be analyzed. Contemporary leadership challenges, communication strategies and critical incident stress debriefing are explored. Leadership structures and decision-making processes will be compared and contrasted against current best practices.

HCSCI 755 - Evidence-Based Practice in Lifestyle Medicine

3 credits
Students will explore the principles and practices of evidence-based lifestyle modification, focusing on the integration of Lifestyle Medicine into daily clinical practice for prevention and treatment of disease. Learners will explore the use of evidence-based lifestyle and wellness therapeutic approaches, such as diverse dietary modifications, prescribed daily exercise, sleep hygiene, tobacco cessation and alcohol moderation, stress management, emotional resilience, and other alternative modalities. Students will debate the best practices for implementing Lifestyle Medicine into their daily practice.

HCSCI 760 - Policy, Regulation, and Politics in Healthcare

3 credits
This course explores how the socio-political environment impacts health policy for both public and private healthcare organizations in the United States. Topics covered include expanding regulations, health insurance reform, financing, government supported programs, quality care and population-based policy issues. Students also learn about social determinants of health, health disparities and how public policy influences health and illness in America.

HCSCI 765 - Human Resources Management in Healthcare

3 credits
This course will provide students with an overview of various aspects that are the foundation for human resource management.  Students will come away with a list of resources to assist them in daily functions of human resources, learn about laws impacting the workplace, and understand the supervisor’s role in managing/coaching/counseling current and future workers.  This course covers the basic elements of structure needed to support the organization with its human capital.

HCSCI 770 - Healthcare Operations Management

3 credits
This course explores the application of operations management concepts within healthcare organizations.  Topics covered include systems theory, quality improvement, project management, facility location and design, health information management systems, marketing and budgeting.  In addition, students learn how supply management, scheduling, productivity, cost performance, and adequate staffing influence performance.  Discussion of how internal organizational change and external factors such as regulations can disrupt daily operations is included.

HCSCI 850 - Inclusive Practice for the Scholar Clinician

6 credits
Students will utilize their learning across courses in the fall semester to develop a scholarly paper that addresses a diversity, equity, and inclusion topic. This course will include an extensive review of literature and a proposal for how to integrate change into the workplace. This course will also focus on the application of evidence-based decision-making to address problems in healthcare practice and administration. Students will reflect on the role of healthcare leaders as change agents for social justice.

HCSCI 810 - Applied Scholarly Project I

3 credits
This three-course series will guide the student through the process of developing and conducting an applied scholarship project. The applied scholarship project will be designed to target a problem in either clinical or administrative practice. Faculty advisors will mentor students as they progress from project proposal to completion of their scholarly project. Students will conduct a literature review and data collection around their chosen topic. This course will focus on strategies for data collection and analysis, and include preparation and submission of the research protocol to the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for approval.

HCSCI 820 - Applied Scholarly Project II

3 credits
This three-course series will guide the student through the process of developing and conducting an applied scholarly project. The applied scholarly project will be designed to target a problem in either clinical or administrative practice. Faculty advisors will mentor students as they progress through the process. Each phase of the applied scholarly product will be reviewed and graded by the assigned faculty advisor.  This course will focus on completion of data collection and data analysis.

HCSCI 830 - Applied Scholarly Project III

3 credits
This three-course series will guide the student through the process of developing and conducting an applied scholarly project. The applied scholarly project will be designed to target a problem in either clinical or administrative practice. Faculty advisors will mentor students as they progress through the process and this course will focus on the completion and submission of a high-quality scholarly work, to be published in a peer-reviewed outlet and/or presentation at a state or national meeting. This course culminates in a scholarly project, suitable for publication or presentation in a peer-reviewed environment.