Work Sector: Health
Serve on the front lines of global health. Health Volunteers work within their communities to promote important topics such as nutrition, maternal and child health, basic hygiene, and water sanitation. Volunteers also work in HIV/AIDS education and prevention programs to train youth as peer educators, develop appropriate education strategies, provide support to children orphaned by the pandemic, and create programs that provide emotional and financial support to families and communities affected by the disease.
If you choose Health, take three courses from any of the following areas:
- Biology: Any courses. Recommended courses include:
- BIOL 1305- Human Biology for the Informed Citizen
- BIOL 1309- Human Genetics and Society
- BIOL 1334- Human Anatomy and Physiology
- BIOL 1344- Human Anatomy and Physiology 2
- Communication: Any health related Communication courses. Recommended courses include:
- COMM 3300- Health Communication
- COMM 3302- E-Health and Telemedicine
- COMM 3303- Health Literacy
- COMM 3304- Multicultural Health Communication
- COMM 3340- Health Campaigns
- Health Education: Any courses. Recommended courses include:
- HLT 1353- Personal Health
- HLT 2320- Introduction to Public Health
- HLT 3306- Environmental Health
- HLT 3380- Culture & Health
- HLT 3381- Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
- HLT 4317: Foundations of Epidemiology in Public Health
- Honors- Medicine and Society: Any medical related Honors courses. Recommended courses include:
- HON 3300- Introduction to Social Medicine
- HON 3301- Readings in Medicine and Society
- HON 3302- Readings in Public Health & Community Medicine
- HON 3303- Readings in Mental Health & Society
- HON 3306- Health & Human Rights
- Nursing: Any courses. Recommended courses include:
- NURS 3311- Health Assessment Across the Life Span
- NURS 3332- Nursing Professional Role II
- NURS 4322- Policy, Politics, and Ethics in Professional Nursing Practice
- NURS 4521- Community Health Nursing
- Nutrition: Any courses. Recommended courses include:
- NUTR 2232- Intro to Human Nutrition
- NUTR 3340- Nutrition in the Life Cycle
- NUTR 4334- Community Nutrition
- NUTR 4352- Child and Adolescent Nutrition
- NUTR 4353- Cultural Competency for Nutrition Professionals
- Spanish: Any Spanish for Health Professions courses. Recommended courses include:
- SPAN 3343- Spanish for the Health Professions
- SPAN 4343- Healthcare and Society in the Hispanic World
- Sociology: Any of the courses listed below:
- SOC 3352- Population Studies
- SOC 3353- Health Disparities (available fall 2020)
- SOC 3380- Intro to the Sociology of Health Care
And build 50 hours of related field experience through an activity such as:
- For UH Health Education majors and minors, students are required to take 160 internship hours in the field during one semester and this would fulfill the field experience requirement. A list of organizations that offer health internships to any UH student can be located here:
- Volunteer or work experience in such areas as HIV/AIDS outreach, hospice, family planning counseling, emergency medical technician (EMT) or CPR teaching/certification, maternal health, and hands-on caregiving in a hospital, clinic, or lab technician setting. Some options in the community include:
- Working as a resident advisor in a dormitory, as a peer nutritionist, or as a sexually transmitted infections counselor
- A UH volunteer opportunity designing, delivering, and evaluating health education targeting Hispanic and African American youth and families: BOUNCE
- For field experience in a hospital alongside world-class healthcare providers, you can look into volunteering with: Harris Health
- Here are some Public Health volunteer experiences within the Houston community: Harris County Public Health
- University of Houston 'Community Health Worker (CHW) Initiative allows you to gain field experience by taking an active role in health related activities in the community, with an option to serve in Spanish-speaking centers. This program also offers CHW certification for those interested in working in community health settings (certification requires 160 hours through classroom and project hours): Community Health Worker Initiative