★ Introduction
The Department of Health Management, established in 2004, is the first domestic health management department that offers a bachelor's degree program with a major in health management. Also, in 2005, the evening program started recruiting students. Currently, the daytime program has four classes, and the evening program has four classes. There are 7 full-time faculty members and 1 doctor: 1 professor, 3 associate professors, and 4 assistant professors.
★ Objectives
In recent years, the healthcare industry has been flourishing. The need for health management professionals only increases, not decreases, in society. In response to the increasing attention to health promotion trends in the world and the elevating of personal and community health management skills, I-Shou University established the first department of health management in the nation in 2004.
The goals of the department are to cultivate individuals who are capable of and acquire professional knowledge and skills in health management with an entrepreneurial spirit and to accommodate the systemic development of the national healthcare passport system. The expectations of the future are to elevate the competitiveness of the healthcare industry, increase the healthcare benefits of citizens, and satisfy the needs of healthcare management in the new century.
★ Educational Goal
The population structure in Taiwan has changed. The birth rate has declined, yet life expectancy has increased. With an aging population, health problems are becoming issues worthy to take notice of in society. In addition, the disease pattern has changed primarily from acute diseases to chronic diseases, and the priorities for prevention and treatment for chronic diseases are health behavior changes and management. In order to keep up with social development trends, the educational goal for the department is divided into health behavior management and healthcare industry management and is the basis for curriculum design and faculty members' recruitment. Based on this educational goal, the department's two main distinct domains are health behavior management and health industry management and are in agreement with faculty members' professional skills.
1. To provide students with professional knowledge in health promotion and health industry management.
2. To give students the ability to apply what they have learned to the market, community, hospitals, healthcare units and relevant health industries.
★ Core Competences
1. Strengthen the foundation for health promotion theories.
2. Strengthen the foundation for theories in health industry management.
3. Put health promotion theories into practice.
4. Put theories of health industry management into practice.
5. Strengthen foreign language abilities, and broaden world vision in health management.
6. Enhance logical thinking and reasoning abilities.
7. Enhance knowledge integration abilities.
★ Characteristic
I-Shou University is the first to establish a department of health management cultivating advanced professionals who have health management knowledge, skills, and entrepreneurial spirit with international perspectives. The courses encompass two enormous territories, "health" and "management," and cultivate the dual abilities of the students.
The department was established in 2004. Our full-time faculty members hold doctorate degrees or other advanced degrees. They are youthful, passionate about teaching, and have expertise in the field and related disciplines. The department gives priority to nurturing talents in health management in southern Taiwan and hopes that graduates can develop their strengths in the field. Through the management of health behavior change and the health industry, the concept of health promotion can be practiced in daily living.
In addition, population aging represents the elevation of health needs, including medical treatment, leisure and recreation, residence and retirement, psychological and social adjustments, etc. I-Shou University is in the process of establishing health and longevity communities, hotels and spas, and related industries in the surrounding suburbs.
The founding of the department is capable of nurturing professional skills in management. Therefore, the objectives and educational goals are considerably capable of meeting the needs of local communities.
★ Development Plan
The short-term plan is to:
1. Enrich course content, teaching quality and equipment.
2. Elevate the learning capacity of students.
The medium-term plan is to:
1. Continue to improve teaching quality and equipment.
2. Solidify the learning results of students.
The long-term plan is to:
1. Develop and advance research studies and continue to improve teaching quality and effectiveness.
2. Reciprocate to communities and reach out to groups in health management.
★ Prescribed Years of Study for Bachelor’s Degree
Four years.
★ Studies at the Department
Skills in healthcare marketing and disease prevention. Skills in planning, execution, and evaluation of health promotion. Skills in healthcare management in communities, hospitals, organizations, and schools.
★ Pursuit of Further Studies
Health management, public health, health administration, long-term care, administration and management in health-related areas.
★ Employment Opportunities
Specialists in healthcare-related businesses or organizations. Healthcare managers in hospitals, schools, companies or communities.