Month: August 2020

On May 28, NSU’s New Program Review Committee approved the Bachelor of Science in Health Informatics program, which will commence in fall 2021. The program is a collaboration between the Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine (KPCOM) and the NSU College of Computing and Engineering (CCE).

Students can expect a rich undergraduate curriculum, where they will have an opportunity to apply core concepts of health informatics to myriad fields, including mental health, public health, nutrition, clinical practice, private sector, and non-health professions. B.S. in Health Informatics students will have a few choices in the degree paths they can take, such as pursuing a straight four-year degree or a dual-admission in the B.S. in Health Informatics and Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine programs.

The B.S. in Health Informatics program looks forward to working with the CCE as educators, mentors, and guides for incoming students on their academic journey. The program will offer an interdisciplinary curriculum that is focused on cultivating and developing health information technology (HIT) knowledge, skills, and attitudes, allowing graduates to pursue successful and meaningful careers in HIT.

Graduates will be able to interpret, gather, clean, analyze, and present HIT data and information while

acquiring the necessary applicable knowledge and skills to create or enhance existing HIT processes and systems—improving health care organizational operations while meeting their goals. Students will learn to recognize the importance of lifelong learning and be a champion of HIT adoption.

As a supplement to the already-existing South East Area Marine Industry Safety Training (SEAMIST) grant, the KPCOM’s Department of Emergency Medicine’s SEAMIST team received additional funding from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences for COVID-19 training. The grant was awarded as a collaborative project with Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. The Department of Emergency Medicine will receive $135,000 of the $172,000 awarded.

SEAMIST trainings typically address marine industry workers’ awareness of hazardous waste materials and how to handle the chemicals they deal with in their work environments. Due to the pandemic, free COVID-19 awareness trainings will include topics such as workplace exposure, prevention, and virus protection.

Since the trainings began, 10 sessions have been done via Zoom and encompassed more than 700 participants. The four-hour training sessions are done with a live trainer and will continue through July 31, 2021.

Interested participants can contact Philyppe Carre at seamist@nova.edu.

On July 27, the class of 2024 students began their osteopathic odyssey by opening their laptops and diligently watching lectures from their homes. Though a different experience than expected without the traditional white coat ceremony or orientation week, the first-year students at both the Fort Lauderdale/Davie and Tampa Bay Regional campuses remained excited. To replicate the classroom experience in some form, they took to social media to document the process of getting their scrubs and white coats delivered, taking photos on campus, meeting their new academic society peers, and sharing their thoughts on their first week of medical school.

One of the many safety measures NSU-KPCOM has instilled during the COVID-19 pandemic is the continuation of online classes with its bachelor’s, master’s, and D.O. programs. The D.O. curriculum has undergone the most changes, as classes have been rearranged to front-load lectures and backload laboratories.

While some lab experiences have been converted to an online platform, all classes requiring interpersonal contact have been moved to the winter term for the time being. With exams, lectures, and rotations converted to online, the college has made sure all student services will be available via Zoom, such as counseling (career, academic, and financial), tutoring, and psychological support, along with the use of campus buildings with masks and social-distancing guidelines in place.

If the college decides to offer in-person classes, it will be an option for students to select during the fall term—not a requirement. The KPCOM aims to resume its usual operations in-person in January 2021.