SYLLABUS for BIO 112: Healthcare Orientation
Fall 2008 -- Thur 1:40 pm – 3:40 pm (Sec 002C) -- Halsey Science 456
Instructor:
Dana K. Vaughan, Ph.D.
Halsey Science 249
Phone: 424-3076
email: vaughan@uwosh.edu
webpage http://www.uwosh.edu/departments/biology/vaughan/vaughan.html
Office Hours:
Tue 8:15-9:15 am
Wed 1:30-2:30pm
Thu 10:00-11:00am
D2L Discussion Board
Please use email for private or emergency notifications only.
Course Description: (2 cr) An introduction to the cultural aspects of healthcare sciences for students declaring or
considering a degree in any Healthcare-related program on campus. Topics will include: current "hot" fields and
employment opportunities; roles and responsibilities of healthcare workers in society; professional ethics; scientific
communication; planning (career choices, course selection, research experience, internships); and an introduction to
campus faculty, staff and facilities. Students are encouraged to take this course as early as possible in their academic
programs. May not also receive credit for BIO 111. (Fall/Spring)
FAQ #1: “I have to take 112 for my major, but I’m a Junior/Senior and I’m so beyond this class! What’s in it
for me anyway?” BIO 112 is intended for students in their 1st, 2nd, or 3rd semesters of college, transfers, or who have
recently changed to a Healthcare-oriented plan of study from something else. Despite this intention, we still get
Juniors and Seniors signed up for this course. If that’s your situation, please: keep an open mind, assist those who are
less knowledgeable than yourself, and (at the very least) play along and do not begrudge Freshmen and Sophomores
their opportunity to learn (the easy way) what you may have learned the hard way. Besides, I’ve had plenty of
upperclassmen tell me they have learned something in this course, and that they wish they’d had it as first-year
students.
FAQ #2: “I took BIO 111 prior to Fall 2007, but have decided on a Healthcare education plan that requires
BIO 112. Must I take BIO 112 also?” No! Please don’t take up a space that another student can use! Besides, there
is a lot of overlap between BIO 111 and 112. Instead, you can see your major’s department chairperson and obtain a
“curriculum modification” that allows 111 to substitute for 112.
Course Objectives: Students in this course will be offered instruction to develop their:
1. Ability to make the most of their educational opportunities at UW Oshkosh.
2. Familiarity with the wide variety of healthcare fields.
3. Personal progress toward appropriate professionalism.
4. Personal progress toward the habit of self-education.
5. Information literacy.
6. Critical thinking skills.
7. Writing and speaking skills.
8. Research skills.
9. Networking skills.
10. Strategies for career planning.
Special Needs and Accommodations: Students with disabilities are WELCOME in this class. Please notify me at
the first class meeting, with appropriate documentation, so that the pertinent accommodations can be made.
Classroom Etiquette: Please: address me as “Dr. Vaughan”; arrive to class on time; if you are late, enter quietly and
sit to the side; silence pagers and cell phones as soon as you enter the classroom; do not eat in the classroom, but feel
free to bring a beverage; do not have side conversations during class; treat your classmates (and me!) with dignity,
even if you disagree with their ideas; speak to me privately about any conflicts that hamper group work to which
you are assigned; do not pack up to leave until I have indicated verbally that class is concluded for the day; if you
have a question, raise your hand and say “Question!” so that I do not miss you; do not monopolize the class
conversations, make time for everyone to speak; do not leave class early without notifying me ahead of time and
giving a good reason.
Required Text:
 McMillan VE. 2001. Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences. Bedford: Boston, MA. This is the de facto writing
manual for the Biology & Microbiology Department and will serve you well for all science-related courses in
which writing assignments are given.
 Reading assignments online and uploaded to D2L.
D2L & Email Policy:

D2L is vital for accessing the course syllabus, assignment instructions, and so on. I also make announcements
on D2L and, more occasionally, via direct mass email.

You are expected to access both D2L and your campus email at least once each weekday, so that you receive timely
notification of any last-minute changes or assistance regarding assignments. Contact Academic Computing if
you need help with your campus email account (including combining it with a private email account).

Due to the volume of email I receive each day, please ask questions about class on the D2L discussion board set
up for that purpose. You may remain anonymous there if you wish. Please use email or phone only for private
and emergency issues, or for classroom assignments as directed.

Do not email me from accounts other than your official uwosh.edu account; I will not respond.
Late Assignment Policy: Late assignments will be accepted only under extenuating, University-recognized
circumstances with acceptable documentation. I reserve the right to record an “Incomplete” grade in order to give
myself time to grade any late assignments that I choose to accept.
Incomplete Grade Policy: The Undergraduate Bulletin states the University’s policy on Incomplete grades. An “I”
grade for this course means that you have until the end of the January 2008 Interim session to make up the missing
work. Once that is done, I must manually change the “I” to the grade you have earned. If the missing work is not
made up by the deadline, the “I” grade automatically reverts to “F”.
Academic Integrity: The University’s statement on conduct says that “Students are responsible for the honest
completion and representation of their work, for the appropriate citation of sources, and for respect of others'
academic endeavors. Students who violate these standards must be confronted and must accept the consequences
of their actions.” Here are the consequences: If you cheat or plagiarize in one of my courses, at a bare minimum you
have earned a zero on the assignment, and I may elect to fail you from the class and report you to the authorities.
Plagiarism Detection: All written work for this course will be submitted to me through www.Turnitin.com, a
plagiarism detector to which UW Oshkosh subscribes. Plagiarism once = zero on assignment. Plagiarism twice = F
course grade, regardless of quality of other work. If this scares you a little, and it should (I’ve seen 100% plagiarized
papers given A+ grades by high school teachers), consider submitting your paper drafts to Turnitin on your own,
prior to submitting them to me, to detect plagiarism in plenty of time to fix the problem.
Need help with your writing? Your McMillan textbook was chosen precisely because it is a short-but-sweet
reference for the basics of quality writing in the biosciences. For custom assistance, the UW Oshkosh Writing
Center is a student service precisely for you! Contact them about their services.
Feeling overwhelmed? University coursework is very different from high school coursework, and demands higher
level intellectual skills. The UW Oshkosh Reading Study Center is an all-university service that can help you learn
to learn more efficiently. Strategies for improved textbook study, time management, note-taking, test preparation
and test-taking are taught through both credit courses and non-credit services.
BIO 112 Fall 2008 Assignments & Grading Posted 10 Sept 2008
All documents distributed by email or D2L Content should be printed out by every student and brought to class.
Assignments:
1. Your #1 assignment is to attend every class period. Missing one class = missing 7% of the semester.
Think about the 100% scale and how much impact 7% has on a grade. Non-attendance also includes being there
for your class partner, i.e. quickly turning around your constructive criticisms of his/her work-in-progress. Any
student who is having trouble with partner participation should document the problem and inform me.
Documented problems that are not quickly remedied will affect the partner’s grade.
2. Career Exploration Diary: You are given a script of high-quality web sites to examine and questions to
answer in diary format. This engages you in self-reflection and journaling. This self-paced exercise is to
continue over a period of about 3 weeks before it is handed in. This assignment has several layers of
instruction.
a. Web content evaluation is rehearsed along the lines of recommendations from the Medical Librarians
Association: Who authored this? How recent is it? And so on.
b. A long list of HC careers is presented, so that you can appreciate the options open to you as you begin
your college career.
c. The importance of a pre-health enrichment program is underscored.
d. You are alerted to the importance of the Medical Humanities, a theme that will be reinforced during
the term.
e. You are introduced to diversity issues in HC, such as access and clientele.
f. You are introduced to HC policies, emphasizing the modern challenges of the aging population,
provider shortages, the underinsured, and global health.
g. Career Finder: The Science Education branch of the NIH has an online questionnaire that you will fill
out so that the program can generate a list of possible career matches. You’ll complete this questionnaire,
record the HC careers that “hit”, and comment on which were and were not surprises to you.
h. You are asked to write about what to do if you realize HC is not for you after all.
3. Class Recitations: You are informed by the Syllabus in writing to have certain items read by certain class
days. I will call on students by name each class to answer simple questions about the reading, including
definitions of unusual words which I expect you to look up. I may call on you about videos you have just
viewed, also. If a you cannot or will not answer, a demerit is recorded, which impacts your final course grade. If
a you answer reasonably well (and that is my call), a merit is recorded. This mechanism has worked VERY well
in the past, for both keeping up with the reading and for attendance.
4. Class Summaries: For the TWO class meetings identified in the revised syllabus below, you are required to
write an original half-page summary, in correct English, of the major take-home message(s) your obtained from
class, whether the message came from readings, videos, or discussion. You must also include a list of “action
items” that you plan to follow in response to you learning. Your first draft summary must be emailed to your
class partner in time for him/her to edit a HARD COPY that s/he prints out from the email. Then, at the next
class, you will retrieve your edited hard-copy summary draft from your partner and use it to revise your draft to
the final draft. At the following class period, you will hand in two documents as hard copies to me: (1) final
draft (2) edited hard copy from your partner. This gives you regular practice in reflective thinking, writing, and
editing; it also shows how two people can interpret a class differently, as the action plans are essentially
customized. You are allowed to borrow ideas from your editorial partner, but only with permission and
attribution (building the habit of citation). These summaries become part of your course portfolio. Your
summary grade will be based on the quality of the composition (sentence structure, punctuation, clarity,
spelling), the quality of your note-taking (implied by the content of the take-home message), the appropriateness
of your action plan, and the quality of your editing of your partner’s work.
5. 5-Year Plan for Graduation: You will select a UW Oshkosh major within the HC family (as an exercise; no
one is forced to choose a major for real) and create a plan for graduating with it, to include a chronology of core
courses, electives, Gen Ed, and extracurricular activities. You will write a short narrative regarding your
choices from among electives and Gen Ed options. This rehearses your critical thinking about curriculum
choice, career preparation, and the Medical Humanities. I will be putting detailed instructions for this
assignment up on D2L.
6. Individual oral presentation: Each person will give one 5-minute oral Powerpoint presentation on the theme
of “History of Health Care”. This is a wide, wide field from which to choose, but all topics must be pre-cleared
by me well ahead of time. Prohibited topics include amputation, anesthesia, hospice, statins, sterile technique,
and certain aspects of plastic surgery. Any student with an interest in the economics or politics of Health Care is
strongly encouraged to choose a topic in those areas. Your presentation format must follow the guidelines
taught in class (pertinent pages in McMillan + “Powerpoint on Powerpoint”). The 5-minute limit will be
strictly enforced. In addition, your class partner (the same person as your summary editor) MUST view your
talk in a “dress rehearsal” before the class sees the final product. All students must attend all presentations
(their content could appear on the final exam). Audience comments will be collated, summarized, and provided
as feedback to each speaker.
7. Examinations: The midterm will be over class material to date. Question format will vary. The final will
be over class material, plus assigned reading that will have had limited class discussion. A significant portion of
the final exam this year will cover how drugs get to market, using statins as an example. The final aims to
assess each individual’s growth in sophistication with respect to HC themes developed during the term. Both
examinations are open notes. Plenty of time will be allowed for thought before writing.
Points Value for Computation of Final Grade
Attendance, Participation, Partner Assistance
Career Exploration Diary
In-class Recitations
Class Summaries
(2x50)
5-Year Plan
Oral Presentation
Midterm
Final
Total
100
100
100
100
100
50
50
100
700
My grading scale is: 92%+ = A; 88%-91.99% = AB, 82%-87.99% = B, 78%-81.99% = BC, 72%-77.99%
= C, 68%-71.99% = CD, 60%-67.99% = D, <60% = F. If a student’s assignment grades improve steadily and
significantly over the semester, I reserve the right to record a better grade than the grading scale indicates; i.e. I
give credit for improvement.
No late work or extra credit in this class.
Videos
1. “Critical Thinking Skills”, R728.8.C934, 2002: Actors portray HC providers, patients, and family members
in a variety of situations presenting ethical dilemmas and the HC facility power structure.
2. “Alternative Medicine”, R733.A46, 2004: Examines acupuncture, magnet therapy, homeopathy, and others.
3. “Predictor Gene Screening”, RB155.65.P7, 2002: Explains the principles and practice of human genetic
screening.
4. “Pioneers of Hospice”, R726.8.P563, 2005: Reviews the transformation in the past few decades in how the
terminally ill are treated by society and by HC providers.
5. “Surgery, a History”, RD19.S87, 2003: How certain surgical procedures have evolved.
6. “Sicko”, RA395.A3.S53, 2007: Michael Moore’s film on scandals of HC insurance.
7. If there is time: “Hopkins 24/7”, RA982.B35.H67, 2000: ABC News series on the staff and patients at Johns
Hopkins University hospital. Shows various practitioners, specialties, situations.
Readings:
McMillan’s Writing for the Biological Sciences. For reference, some assigned reading will be announced.
From Vaughan: Attaining Your Goal Of A HC Career.
From Vaughan: Well Rounded Courses.
A 3-part series of articles on Health Literacy:
a. By the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, NIH: Health Literacy. Stems from the US Dept. of
Health and Human Services’ Healthy People 2010 report
b. From the Medical Librarians Association: “A User’s Guide to Finding and Evaluating Medical
Information on the Web.”
c. From the Chronicle of Higher Education, September 2008: “Medical Wiki Backed by Prominent
Colleges Will Go Live By Year’s End”.
A 3-part series on How A Drug Gets to Market:
a. From American Scientist, September-October 2008: “Statins: from Fungus to Pharma”.
b. From Reuters News, September 2008: “Heart Experts Clash on Vytorin and Cancer Risk”.
c. From The Scientist, August 2008: “Financial Growing Pains of a Biotech”.
From a group comprising the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the American Association of
Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, the American
Dental Education Association, the American Physical Therapy Association, the American Psychological
Association, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, and the Association of American
Medical Colleges, September 2008: “InterProfessional Behaviors”.
From the New York Times, December 2004: “CASES; Sometimes, Doctors Find Answers Far Off the Charts”.
From the Mayo Clinic: “Interview Tips”.
From the Chronicle of Higher Education, November 2007: “For the Health-Care Work Force, a Critical
Prognosis”.
From Vaughan: “What is Universal Health Care, and Who Has It?”
Bio 112 THURSDAY SECTION REVISED SCHEDULE POSTED 10 SEPT 2008
Detailed assignment dates have been added
Sep 4
Welcome and Introductions
Academic skills and resources
Intro to Professional thinking
Get started on portfolio item “Career Exploration Diary”
Get started on reading the Statins Articles for the Final Exam
Get started choosing your History of Healthcare Oral Presentation topic
See Syllabus for (short) list of prohibited topics
All topics must be pre-approved by Dr. Vaughan
Deadline for topic choice is Oct 9
Sep 11
Have read for class: Attaining Your Goal of a Healthcare Career
Oral reading and recitation based on the above
Films: “Critical Thinking Skills”, “Alternative Medicine”
Discussion
Homework:
 Write a Sept 11 class summary draft and email it to your partner
 Receive a Sept 11 summary draft from your partner; print and edit it
Sep 18
Have read for class: Well Rounded Courses, Professional behaviors
Intro to Professional ethics
Film: “Predictor Gene Screening”
Discussion
Sep 25
Hand in: “Career Exploration Diary” for a Grade
Bring to class: Your edit of your partner’s Sept 11 summary draft
Recitation based on “Career Exploration Diary”
Strategies for choosing a major and planning your education
Get started on portfolio item “5-year Plan for Graduation”
See D2L for more detailed instructions on this assignment
SPECIAL instructions apply for juniors and seniors taking this class
Oct 2
Hand in: Your Sept 11 Class Summary + Edit
Have read for class: What is universal health care, and who has it?
Have read for class: Wikipedia’s entry for “culture of fear”
Bring to class: Printout of http://www.pbs.org/healthcarecrisis/history.htm
Critical thinking about Healthcare economics
Film: “Sicko”, followed by discussion
Homework:
 Write an Oct 2 class summary draft and email it to your partner
 Receive an Oct 2 summary draft from your partner; print and edit it
Oct 9
Have read for class: Health Literacy, Doorknob phenomenon, Mayo Clinic interview tips
Recitation on readings
Intro to Professional communication
Powerpoint on powerpoint
Due date to declare topic for History of Healthcare Powerpoint Oral Presentation
Oct 16
Bring to class: Your edit of your partner’s Oct 2 summary draft
Plagiarism
Citing references
Intro to Health research: Basic research, clinical research, meta-analyses
Homework:
 Edit your Oct 2 summary using your partner’s editing advice
Oct 23 (tentative) Attend evening lecture by Cliff Steer MD
Oct 23
Hand in: Your Oct 2 Class Summary + Edit for a grade
Intro to Healthcare literature
Database searches
Types of papers
Statistics
Graphs
Film: “Surgery, a History”, “Pioneers of Hospice”
Discussion
Oct 30
Q&A session about Statins article
Open notes Midterm
Nov 6
History of Healthcare, Oral Presentations
Nov 13
History of Healthcare, Oral Presentations
Nov 20
No class, but 5-year plan for graduation from UWO is due
(Release time to accommodate required speaker attendance)
Dec 4
TBA
Dec 11
Open notes Final: to Include an Essay Exam on the Statins article