Navigating Health Systems
Designed for students pursuing health-related careers, this certificate will deepen your understanding of the health care system so you can help your future patients and clients decrease barriers to their care.
Become a Health Care Advocate
Learn to better navigate complicated healthcare systems for you and your future clients and patients. Explore the many types of health systems people may interact with throughout their lives. You will gain practical skills to help others access the care they need — while also building your own confidence in working within healthcare environments. This certificate is flexible, so you can choose courses and topics that match up with your interests and major.
You will explore how health care teams function, discover how health systems and care providers work together, and learn why those collaborations matter for patient outcomes. Along the way, you will build a deeper understanding of the various professionals who work within complex healthcare teams — and develop the necessary communication skills to work effectively with them. By the end, you will be ready to make a meaningful difference, whether you're helping one person at a time or working to improve the system as a whole.
Program Details
Are you planning a future in a health career? UW-Eau Claire is one of only a few schools of its size with a specialized Health Careers Center dedicated to helping you achieve your health career goals. We offer access to targeted programming, high-quality clinical and volunteering opportunities, and personalized academic and pre-professional advising delivered by our caring expert staff.
Meeting potential employers and gaining a better understanding of the different types of careers available to you is a priority at UWEC. To help you explore career paths, we host an annual Nursing and Health Care Professional Fair, an on-campus career fair specific for those looking to enter the healthcare field. This event is an excellent opportunity to make connections and submit your resume for current and future job openings.
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Internships allow you to gain valuable applied experience, make connections in professional fields you're considering as a career path, and give employers the chance build and evaluate talent.
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Coursework within social work, psychology, nursing, health care administration, and more will prepare you to be a well-rounded advocate for your future patients.
Here are a few courses in Navigating Health Systems at UW-Eau Claire.
SW 377
Self-Care in the Helping Professions
This class is focused on self-care, or the activities and practices that one can engage in on a regular basis to reduce stress, maintain well-being, and prevent professional burnout. During this class, students will examine the knowledge base related to self-care, develop skills in specific self-care practices, and develop sustainable self-care plans for use as professionals.
SW 394
Introduction to Counseling Skills for Helping Professionals
The purpose of this course is to provide students with an understanding of basic counseling skills used within a range of human service professions. Students will become familiar with the steps in the helping process and the importance of culturally informed and trauma informed practices in human service professions.
SW 490
Mental Health and Substance Abuse
This course will provide basic knowledge and skills necessary to practice effective generalist social work practice for those with mental health concerns and substance use.
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