New bachelor's degree program gives nontraditional students new career paths

There’s a reason Brandi White, Ph.D., leads the charge for an innovative program that taps students from technical colleges to apply to the Medical University of South Carolina.

She has the gift of insight into special skills they may not even know about. She recalled a comment from a student at Denmark Technical College, where she was visiting to raise awareness about MUSC’s new Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Studies program. “When I went back to Denmark Technical College, a student said to me, ‘I can’t believe you emailed me. I didn’t think that anyone from MUSC would ever care about me, because I never thought that I was smart enough to go there.’”

White knows that may be the case for many students, particularly from rural or underserved backgrounds. That’s why she takes notes on all the students she talks to and emails them a plan of study. “I add in notes from our conversations, especially for those underserved students. It’s not just racial and ethnic minorities, but rural students, first-generation students and single parents,” said White. 

White is an assistant professor and director of the Division of Healthcare Studies in the College of Health Professions. She has worked tirelessly to build an undergraduate program that will be a potential pipeline for students who have an Associate of Science degree to continue their education at MUSC.

“The College of Health Professions saw this as an opportunity to help increase access for those students, especially those that are interested in health professions like physical therapy, occupational therapy, physician assistant and public health to give them a stepping stone to go into those programs.”

The good news is that these fields are growing in health care. 

This new BSHS program is the only undergraduate program offered at the College of Health Professions. One of the program’s goals is for graduates to have job-ready skills to enter the health care workforce in positions such as a health educator or community health worker, both of which are occupations that anticipate rapid growth. Another goal is to prepare interested students to apply to graduate programs, such as: physician assistant studies, occupational therapy, physical therapy, cardiovascular perfusion, health administration, public health, and many others. White emphasized the need to get pre-health professions students in the pipeline early because course prerequisites for these graduate programs can be completed at the technical college, which saves students a considerable amount of money.

The BSHS program was approved by the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education in May 2016 and the program began in August 2016. The College of Health professions and the South Carolina Technical College System signed a memorandum of understanding, which allows for qualified graduates at all 16 technical colleges in the state to apply. Additionally, the BSHS program and the South Carolina Technical College System are working on developing a course led by the South Carolina Area Health Education Consortium for current technical college students interested in health professions.

White believes reaching students early and providing guidance are two of the most important aspects about the relationship with the technical colleges. This includes mentorship on possible career routes and course prerequisites.  

 

"I’ve spoken to students who want to be a physical therapist and go to a technical college to earn an Applied Associate in Science degree to be a physical therapist assistant, thinking it will help them realize their goal of being a physical therapist. They don’t realize that the courses they took to earn an Applied Associate in Science degree will not all transfer to a bachelor’s degree, which is required to apply to physical therapy programs. Many times, these students must go back to school to take the necessary general education courses or will stop pursuing their initial career goal because of financial constraints," she said.

This program helps guides students, but it also helps to diversify the next generation of health care providers. This plays a role in promoting diversity and inclusion, a strategic goal of MUSC and of the program. She understands that graduates of the BSHS program who come from rural, underserved communities are more likely to return to their communities to provide health care. 

Rick Segal, PT, Ph.D., chairman of the Department of Health Professions within the College of Health Professions, said he admires White’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. He described her as rigorous. “This program is important to the future of diversity and inclusion for the college. Moreover, it offers opportunity for those who deserve opportunity.” 

The BSHS program is lockstep, meaning all students are full time and have 12 credit hours per semester. The program’s flexibility comes from being online and only requires students to be on campus once a semester. 

“Our short-term goal is to increase the number of students in our program. Our long-term goal is to continue to nurture the partnerships with the technical and community colleges to ensure students will be competitive applicants for our program and graduate programs. We want to ensure that when students interested in a health care career start at a tech college, they are aware of this program and we can stay with them along their path to make sure they are taking the right classes,” said White.

Lance Dullaghan, a current BSHS student, is a single father who works full time as a radiology technician. Thanks to the BSHS program being available online, he can balance his home life, work life and college life. 

“It’s a good program. The professors have been really helpful and flexible, and the classes are applicable to me. Since classes are online, the school schedule is flexible and I can still work as a radiology technician,” said Dullaghan.

There’s a wide diversity in health care professions that student Harlee Lynn is glad to see.

Lynn, a full-time mom with two jobs, is working on balancing her schedule but is thankful for this program. “I tried nursing, and it didn’t work out. I want to help people without having to be a doctor,” she said. “I want to go into health care administration or public health. I love the opportunity this program provides to be involved in the community.”

White takes her role seriously. She believes it goes beyond visiting the technical colleges and just setting up a table. Student mentorship is critical because many of these students don’t believe they can do it, she said. “MUSC is an excellent school, but for them, they believe it’s not a goal they can reach. Our goal is to let them understand that with hard work and dedication, they can attend MUSC."

For more information, visit the College of Health Professions web page, email, or call 843-792-3326.