Purpose
The Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSM) Health Professions Programs are charged with providing undergraduate health professions education on the Indiana University campus in Indianapolis (IU Indianapolis). These programs prepare health professionals to provide diagnostic and therapeutic patient care. As part of a major university, the programs accept and fulfill four major responsibilities, by providing (1) opportunities to acquire a sound basic education in the undergraduate health programs offered through the School of Medicine and to foster the development of lifelong habits of scholarship and service; (2) advancement of knowledge through research; (3) continuing education programs aimed at maintaining and improving the competence of those health professionals engaged in patient care or supportive health services; and (4) multiple services to the people of the state of Indiana in these health professions.
Philosophy
The IUSM Health Professions Programs are committed to the excellent quality preparation of health personnel who have a concern for the well-being of the people they serve. The programs integrate teaching, research, and service through the efforts of their faculty and students. This integration results in high quality programs that have a significant positive impact on health care.
Each program offered provides the health professions student with an opportunity to develop expertise, scientific knowledge, and professional attitudes that will enable the student to contribute to the health of society and obtain career satisfaction. The programs adhere to specific professional guidelines or standards and are designed in collaboration with the appropriate accrediting bodies. All curricula are based upon a foundation in the liberal arts and sciences, which is essential for an informed and productive life.
The faculty believe that the education of health professions personnel follows a coordinated and logical interdisciplinary process based on a core body of knowledge germane to health professions practice. By sharing experiences related to a variety of activities, the student is introduced to others who have both common and unique educational interests. Appreciation of the contribution of each health discipline and interaction with peers and scholars in different health professions encourage the coordination of health planning, health services, disease prevention, and health promotion.
Education is perceived by the faculty as an evolving and continuing process toward an increased ability to think, reason, and judge that leads to a satisfying and self-disciplined life. Effective education allows for individual difference and is provided in a participative atmosphere. The faculty believe that freedom of choice and meaningful assimilation of facts nurture the development of the students, enhance their understanding of patients' problems, and promote a dedication to lifelong self-evaluation and self-education.
Faculty of the IUSM Health Professions Programs are fully qualified in their fields of expertise and hold appropriate degrees and certification or licensure. In implementing the objectives of their academic programs, they strive to keep their professional and teaching competencies current. The faculty are committed to preparing uniquely qualified personnel who must meet the challenges of the complex and ever-changing health care needs of society.
The graduates of IUSM Health Professions Programs should be prepared to apply the knowledge they have attained in their selected discipline. Graduates have a responsibility to maintain competency through formal and informal continuing education and to contribute to new knowledge in their discipline. Graduates have legal, moral, and ethical responsibilities to their employers, patients, and the public and are expected to participate in community and professional activities.
This statement of philosophy forms the core of values from which the IUSM Health Professions Programs vision, mission, objectives, policies, and procedures are derived.
Updated: March 2024
