2.4 Why Pre-Health Science
Skills Development
Developing a foundational skill set for learning is the basis of the program. The PHS program at Fanshawe works with a Program Advisory Committee (PAC), largely consisting of faculty from health career programs and other science programs, together with representation from local high schools. As a result, while the core courses of the program provide the basic content required for admission to health care programs at Fanshawe, the Fanshawe PHS program also aligns program policies and procedures with the School of Health Sciences and embeds program-fit skills for health sciences in the program together with healthcare applications. It is these program-fit skills and healthcare applications that differentiate the PHS program from general science course upgrading programs. The program has been designed with a focus on the: core knowledge, skills, abilities, and success in Health Science and other science related programs and the workplace.
The program helps to develop foundational skills (also called soft skills) such as goal setting, planning and organizing, self – leadership, and critical thinking, with a correlation of biomedical concepts between different scientific disciplines. This learning is embedded in a cocurricular (full time) delivery that not only provides a solid foundation for science programs but also for students who, through goal setting, choose a different pathway in post-secondary education and in the workplace.
Unlike high school or other science upgrading programs, where many courses can be taken as stand-alone courses, the PHS program is cocurricular which means material taught in one class will provide a basis for knowledge in other classes in the same term, as well as the base knowledge required for the second term. In this way, the PHS program helps to develop the foundational skill of critical thinking, which is required to link concepts between multiple disciplines as would be required in a health care setting. As a result PHS graduates have a high success rate in health career programs and a high number of students who do not choose health are successful in other programs at Fanshawe.
Throughout the PHS program, an emphasis will be placed on developing the ability to work with others. As a healthcare professional, one needs to be able to work alongside colleagues and treat individuals from diverse populations. As such, our students will be encouraged and expected to work well with others while exhibiting respect and compassion regardless of age, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed (religion), sex, sexual orientation, same sex partnership status, gender identity, gender expression, disability, age, marital status, family status (parent-child relationship) the receipt of public assistance (in accommodation only), and record of offences (provincial offences, pardoned federal offences, in employment only).
