hands-on training

Community Health

Community Health Professional (CHP)
Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS)

About

The Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) degree in Community Health is an online program that prepares students for careers in health and wellness as well as illness and injury prevention.

This fully online program is designed for the working professional. This provides the opportunity for convenience and flexibility for students who need to balance work and family commitments, while providing an excellent and affordable educational opportunity. What you learn in the program builds on your existing skills and degree. Learn about health promotion, disease and injury prevention, population health and other prudent community-based topics, as you prepare for jobs as a health educator, patient advocate, health navigator or case manager.

A new degree for the new health care world

As health care changes its focus from sick-care to well-care there is a growing demand for community health professionals. Jobs can be found in traditional health care settings, government agencies, public and community health, as well as insurance companies and employee wellness programs. TCC's Community Health Professional BAS degree will prepare you for the new world of health care.

Builds on clinical knowledge

The Community Health Professional degree pairs your clinical background with public health theory and practice. The program is designed for working professionals in health and human services related fields, such as respiratory therapy, radiology technology, diagnostic medical sonography and paramedicine.

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Four Tracks, Four Options

The Community Health program offers four specialty tracks. Choose the track that fits your educational & career path.

Community Health Professional

The Community Health Professional track will enhance your current healthcare knowledge/experience with public health theory. This track is perfect for both those currently working in patient care and those who want to work in healthcare without working in direct patient care. While this degree track does not include any advanced patient care or clinical skill training, it will provide you the tools necessary to further your practice in prevention and wellness. You will learn about advocacy, law, population health, epidemiology, research and disaster preparedness. The Community Health Professional track then builds upon that foundation with electives in global health, cultural competency, environmental health, prevention, and families as the social system.

Pre-Medical

The Community Health Pre-Medical track is intended for those interested in pursuing a graduate medical degree, such as a Physician Assistant (PA), Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner (ARNP), or Doctoral Medical programs (MD and DO). This track may align with the curriculum of the programs you are interested in. You are encouraged to review the specific prerequisites for the graduate medical programs that you wish to apply to. Your assigned faculty advisor will be happy to help you develop an academic plan.

Paramedicine - Critical Care Transport

The Community Health Paramedicine - Critical Care Transport track is designed for Paramedics that wish to expand their knowledge in advanced medicine to care for critical patients in the pre-hospital settings. Core areas of knowledge that will be learned in this program include advanced level pharmacology, advanced cardiac assessment and management, increased ability to assess differential diagnosis and working diagnosis in the critical patient - neurological, cardiovascular, trauma/burns, pediatrics, and other considerations, working with aircraft transports, advanced mechanical ventilation and introduction to the use of blood products in the pre-hospital setting.

Advanced Respiratory Care

The Community Health Advanced Respiratory Care track will enhance your current healthcare knowledge/experience with public health theory. This track is specifically dedicated for current respiratory therapists.

Find out more!

Complete the Admission Virtual Information Course as the first step of the BAS admission process.

Or join us for an information session, held on Feb. 7 at 1:30pm, Feb. 21 at 2:30pm, March 6 at 1:30pm, and March 20 at 2:30pm via Zoom.

ADMISSION VIRTUAL INFO COURSE SIGN UP for an info session

Application Factors

Priority placement will be based upon eligibility, date of application and space available.

Review the Factors

Entry Requirements

Please review the entry requirements for this degree

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Apply to CHP BAS program

Transcript review is completed during application review.

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Our Stories

CHP BAS Program

TCC's CHP BAS degree program prepares students for successful employment. Here's a snapshot of what the program entails.

Review the degree requirements for our Community Health Professional Bachelor of Applied Science degrees on TCC's College Catalog

COMMUNITY HEALTH PROFESSIONAL REQUIREMENTS

PRE-MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS

PARAMEDICINE - CRITICAL CARE TRANSPORT REQUIREMENTS

ADVANCED RESPIRATORY CARE REQUIREMENTS
It’s important to be aware of how much college costs so you can plan your finances. All online students qualify for WA state resident tuition rates with a waiver, no matter where in the United States they live.

Students are encouraged to review the official Tuition Rates and fees set by the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. Every college also charges campus-based fees, like technology fees or lab fees.

Notes about tuition:
- Tuition rates subject to change by the Washington State Legislature.
- Tuition and fees are due at the time of registration and payment must be completed within 2 business days of registration. Continuing students and new students who register early may defer fee payment until the published deferment date (see calendar).
- Some courses have additional fees assessed.
- Washington Online (WAOL) students are assessed an additional fee of $8.00 per credit. This fee is non-refundable once the course begins.
- U.S. citizens and permanent residents who have not yet established Washington residency may now attend TCC at a reduced rate. This optional waiver has been approved by the TCC Board of Trustees, but may not be available at all state colleges. A student who plans to transfer to a college that does not participate in this waiver is advised to establish Washington residency before transfer. Residency information is available at the Admissions Counter.
Check out the Types of Aid available for you at TCC. BAS students qualify for all aid types.
Program Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the Community Health Professional Bachelor of Applied Science program, students will be able to:
1. Identify and critique the influences of community health policies and practices on past, present, and future critical health issues of society
2. Identify the fundamental principles of community health to individual, community, and population health issues as well as disease incidence and prevalence
3. Examine the causes and prevalence of chronic and infectious diseases and describe prevention, maintenance, and treatment strategies
4. Describe the role of theory in health promotion, research, and practice to understand and change environmental and behavioral factors
5. Identify and critique the impact of health disparities in health behaviors, intervention strategies, community health policies, and access to quality healthcare
6. Critique cultural, legal, policy, and ethical factors that influence health status of individuals and populations
7. Use appropriate research and statistical tools and techniques to evaluate community health data related to outcomes, prevention, management, and treatment approaches
8. Identify culturally sensitive approaches to health communication with individuals, groups, communities, and populations
9. Develop and appraise community programs and interventions through assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation
10. Practice team collaboration, leadership, and management skills in a variety of settings
11. Use effective written and oral skills to communicate with different populations within a given community
12. Create and deliver patient/client/community education
In addition to the outcomes listed above some Community Health Tracks have additional learning outcomes:

Advanced Respiratory Care:
- Demonstrate behavior consistent with advanced-level respiratory therapists
- Apply and evaluate clinical information to the role of advanced respiratory therapist
Paramedicine - Critical Care Transport:
- Evaluate the legal basis for education, performance and responsibilities of a critical care Paramedic
- Assemble and communicate pertinent patient information to healthcare personnel involved in the patient's care
- Integrate concepts of respiratory, cardiovascular and neurological anatomy and physiology and pathophysiology into the assessment and management of adult critical care patients
- Formulate treatment plans to include pharmacological and mechanical interventions for patients with a respiratory compromise and pharmacological, electrical and mechanical interventions for patients with a cardiovascular compromise
- Formulate an impression of the clinical status and evaluate or assist in the provision of, appropriate medical interventions for the critically ill patient with a neurological disorder
- Evaluate a treatment plan for the critically ill patient with a neurological disorder within the scope of practice of the critical care paramedic
- Integrate the pathophysiology principles and assessment findings to implement treatment plans for burn patients, patients with critical renal or gastrointestinal or multiple organ dysfunction and shock and for the pediatric patient determined to be in overt shock or respiratory failure
- Integrate the principles and assessment findings to implement a transport plan for the critical ill patient
Degree Learning Outcomes

All Program Level Outcomes also align with TCC's Degree Learning Outcomes. TCC has six measurable outcomes that all degree recipients are expected to meet.
1. Core of Knowledge (COK): Demonstrate a basic knowledge of each of the distribution areas (Written Communication, Humanities, Quantitative Skills, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences), or, as applicable, specific professional/technical content, and program-level content and apply this knowledge to academic endeavors.
2. Communication (COM): Listen, speak, read, and write effectively and use nonverbal and technological means to make connections between self and others.
3. Critical Thinking & Problem Solving (CRT): Compare, analyze, and evaluate information and ideas to solve problems.
4. Information & Information Technology (IIT): Locate, evaluate, retrieve, and ethically use relevant and current information of appropriate authority for academic or, as applicable, specific professional/technical applications.
5. Intercultural Collaboration & Diversity (ICD): Demonstrate successful application of an interdependent, diverse, and multicultural worldview through collaborative engagement.
6. Responsibility & Ethics (RES): Demonstrate an understanding of what constitutes responsible and ethical behavior toward individuals, the community, and the environment.

Program Classes

The following is a suggested schedule for full-time students.

Progression from one quarter to the next is dependent upon receiving grades of C or higher in all courses. This is a general guideline. Your schedule will vary depending on which program track you are on, which general education and elective courses you need to complete and how many credits per quarter you wish to take.

Students should meet with their advisors to create their personalized educational plan. A draft educational plan will be based off of our preliminary review of unofficial transcripts. Changes to your academic plan may be required after your official transcripts have been reviewed by the Credential Evaluators. Official transcripts must be received by TCC no later than 6 weeks after you accept the offer to join our program.

Course Number	Course Name	Credits
Fall Quarter
CHP 300	Introduction to Community Health	5
CHP 305	Community Health Advocacy	5
ENGL 301	Professional Writing and Communication in Healthcare	5
Winter Quarter
CHP 315	Health Policy, Law and Ethics	5
CHP 335	Healthcare Research and Statistics	5
CMST 330	Health Communications	5
Spring Quarter
CHP 320	Introduction to Epidemiology	5
CHP 325	Population Health and Wellness	5
PHIL 320	Ethical Decision Making	5
Summer Quarter
CHP 430	Epidemics and Prevention	5
PSYC 360	Health Psychology	5
Fall Quarter
CHP 310	Community Health Communications & Informatics	5
CHP 330	Program Planning and Evaluation	5
SOC 201	Social Problems	5
Winter Quarter
CHP 400	Environmental Health	5
CHP 440	Health Culture and Diversity	5
GEOG 205	Physical Geography	5
Spring Quarter
CHP 340	Disaster Preparedness	5
CHRC 420	Education in Healthcare	5
CHP 490	Community Health Capstone	5

Curriculum Time Limits

While we do realize it may be necessary for some students to attend school at a part-time rate, it is vital that students complete all CHP BAS courses within five years to ensure that the curriculum they complete is as up-to-date as possible. A student may petition their CHP faculty advisor for a waiver of this requirement.

The Community Health Professional (CHP) Bachelor Of Applied Science (BAS) degree prepares students for careers in health and wellness as well as illness and injury prevention. As healthcare changes its focus from Sick-care to Well-care there is a growing demand for community health professionals. Jobs can be found in traditional healthcare settings, government agencies, non-profit organizations, academic institutions, health consulting and education companies, as well as insurance companies and employee wellness programs. TCC's Community Health Professional BAS degree will prepare you for the new world of healthcare. Specific job titles may include:

Health Educator $61,999 ($29.81 hr)

Provide and manage health education programs that help individuals, families, and their communities maximize and maintain healthy lifestyles. Collect and analyze data to identify community needs prior to planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating programs designed to encourage healthy lifestyles, policies, and environments. May serve as resource to assist individuals, other health professionals, or the community, and may administer fiscal resources for health education programs.

Medical and Health Service Manager $125,743 ($60.45 hr)

Plan, direct or coordinate medical and health services in hospitals, clinics, managed care organizations, public health agencies, or similar organizations.

Community Health Worker $42,321 ($20.34 hr)

Assist individuals and communities to adopt healthy behaviors. Conduct outreach for medical personnel or health organizations to implement programs in the community that promote, maintain, and improve individual and community health. May provide information on available resources, provide social support and informal counseling, advocate for individuals and community health needs, and provide services such as first aid and blood pressure screening. May collect data to help identify community health needs.

Social and Community Service Manager $61,897 ($29.76 hr)

Plan, direct, or coordinate the activities of a social service program or community outreach organization. Oversee the program or organization's budget and policies regarding participant involvement, program requirements, and benefits. Work may involve directing social workers, counselors, or probation officers.

EXPLORE COMMUNITY HEALTH CAREERS ON OUR CAREER EXPLORER
There are several Master’s degree-level paths that graduates of TCC BAS programs have upon completion.

WGU offers Master’s degrees in multiple fields. They accept all Washington BAS degree graduates via a statewide transfer (articulation) agreement.

WGU MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (PDF)

Pacific Lutheran University has a transfer agreement for all TCC BAS degrees to be accepted into all their Master of Business Administration, Master of Science in Finance, Master of Science in Marketing Analytics degrees offered through their School of Business.

TCC to PLU

University of Washington-Tacoma’s Milgard School of Business (MSB) program accepts all TCC’s applied bachelor’s degrees into their Master of Science in Business Analytics.

UW Tacoma Memorandum of Understanding (PDF)