The University of Evansville has approved a new undergraduate major in health communication that will enable students to develop communication skills that can be applied specifically to careers in the health field. UE will be one of the few universities that offer an undergraduate major specifically in health communication.
The health communication major will give students the basic knowledge and skills needed to go on to careers in advertising, public relations, journalism and multimedia production specifically in the health field. It will also give students an understanding of areas related to public health and health services where this knowledge can be applied. It will provide practical experience to students through internships with professional organizations in the health field.
Specific areas that health communication majors will be exposed to include:
Provider-patient communication
Heath care organization communication
Risk communication / Crisis communication
Strategic health communication campaigns
New communication technologies (eHealth)
Careers in which expertise in health communication can be applied include:
Patient advocacy
Health care marketing
Public health campaign specialist
Health education specialist
Risk communication specialist
Health publication editor/reporter
Health information manager
Advances in communication technology and the growth of the health industry have created an environment for health communication to become one of the fastest growing areas in the field of communication. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects job growth in areas related to health communication will be faster than average from 2012-2022.
For more information on IE’s new health communication major, visit: www.evansville.edu/majors/communication/healthcommunication.cfm
UE’s new health communications major joins a rich selection of health profession programs offered at the University, including health services administration, physical therapy, physical therapy assistant, and nursing. Another addition will be the Physician Assistant program, slated to begin in 2017. Physician assistants are nationally certified and state-licensed health care professionals who provide direct patient care and work as part of a physician-led team in delivering a broad range of diagnostic, therapeutic, preventative, and health maintenance services. They work in diverse medical and surgical specialties including family and internal medicine, emergency care, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, general surgery and sub-surgical specialties, and mental and behavioral health care. PAs work in a wide variety of settings including hospitals, clinics, physicians’ offices, and other health care facilities. For more information about the profession visit www.aapa.org.
The Bureau of Labor projects that the job outlook for physician assistants is very strong. Their estimate is for employment of physician assistants to grow 38 percent from 2012 to 2022, much faster than the average for all occupations. For more information visit www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/physician-assistants.htm.
