ABOUT AUHS

VISION OF AUHS

“There is a dream that each of us has inside. It speaks of a better time, of a better life, of a better world.
There is a voice that comes from God and shows to each, “the way”, then say, “come abide”.
There is a need that cries, must be satisfied, requires of us to care, to help, to give, set self aside.
That all might have the chance to believe, to learn, to create, to succeed” by Pastor Gregory A. Johnson

MISSION OF AUHS

American University of Health Sciences, a private Christian-based, minority-serving university of higher education, welcomes students of diverse backgrounds and prepares them to make a positive impact on society through the provision of exceptional quality patient- centered care within the context of a global perspective of the human condition. This mission is accomplished through the creation of a strong and caring academic environment where excellence, diversity, and the development of the entire person—mind, body, and spirit— is addressed and where teaching/learning, research, service, and scholarship is valued and supported. Inspired by a strong belief in God and the Christian values of love and caring for humankind, and of justice and respect, the University’s core values include a holistic approach to education, promotion of the intellectual, analytical, and critical thinking abilities of its students, evidence-based knowledge, and service to our fellow man, and a commitment to life-long learning. The Board of Trustees have reviewed and approved the Mission of AUHS.

PHILOSOPHY & PRINCIPLES OF THE UNIVERSITY

The objective of the University is to prepare a professional and culturally diverse workforce for the pharmaceutical, nursing, and clinical research sectors within healthcare. As previously stated, one of our stated purposes is to create a workforce who will utilize research evidence-based practice to guide healthcare delivery. It is the mission and purpose of AUHS that these professionals will understand the application of research; display competencies to apply evidence-based practice and will have been infused with the desire to continue their education with the intent toward becoming practice professional leaders, future research scientists and faculty within their professional domain.

To this end, the University upholds the following as its guiding principles and philosophies:

• The University adopts a holistic approach to education and promotes total development of mind, body, and spirit, while promoting the intellectual, analytical, and critical abilities of its students, complemented with solid values such as service and commitment to life-long learning.
• All students must acquire the fundamental knowledge and understanding of science and how it relates to their individual domain—pharmacy, nursing, medicine—and appreciate how these disciplines have evolved, are integrally related, and are individually and collectively continually changing human life. The knowledge that students gain will not be limited to theories but instead will extend to actual clinical application, which will include clinical-laboratory-practice experiences, externships, and community service.
• The University thrives in an intimate and quality learning environment, a place for creative individual expression as well as fruitful social interaction. The University harnesses a dynamic, enriching environment where students can freely interact with accomplished and dedicated faculty, who embrace and exemplify the values of the University, and utilize a rich array of library, internet, and interactive learning tools.
• The University recognizes its critical role in community development and social health service. It is aware that institutional success lies behind what its students and graduates give back to society. The University seeks to impress upon all its graduates the higher mission and noble privilege of community service and improving the quality of healthcare through both provision of care and scholarly study of the impact of that care.
• The University commits to continually develop and upgrade curricula and courseware to enable students and practitioners to stay up-to-date and conversant on prevailing practices and technologies affecting the health care industry.
• All graduates of the University shall have an accurate understanding of how they, as practitioners in the field, fit into the larger and real- world community that they serve. Graduates will possess the competencies necessary to provide excellent care and service within their domain with a thorough foundation in science, social/behavioral, leadership, and interpersonal-interactional knowledge and skills.

INSTITUTIONAL LEARNING OUTCOMES (GOALS)

AUHS Institutional Learning Outcomes (goals) are centered around five (5) core guiding concepts/major pillars or what we also termed as hallmarks, which include: 1) Performance (Academic Excellence/ Research/ Scholarship); 2) Cultural Competence; 3) Critical Thinking to enhance academic preparation; 4) Social Responsibility (Service); and 5) Christian Values. These hallmarks enhance both our undergraduate and graduate students, and all include innovation, implementation, and assessments components. Each hallmark is presented as follows; first we offer factual and contextual materials to explain the importance of these hallmarks. Second, we offer primary goals we derived from these hallmarks. Finally, we offer anticipated results where we describe what we envision are parameters that are well underway with a specified day of completion.

1. Performance (Academic Excellence / Research / Scholarship). In the area of performance, graduates will demonstrate social, philosophical knowledge of their profession/career pathway (i.e., nursing, pharmacy, pharmacy technician, clinical research, etc.).
2. Cultural Competence (Diversity). In the area of cultural competence, graduates will deliver culturally competent and sensitive caring that is evidence-based in the appropriate health career (i.e., nursing, pharmacy, pharmacy technician, clinical research, etc.) service area.
3. Critical Thinking (Academic Preparation or Excellence/ Education). In the area of critical thinking, graduates will apply critical thinking as the theoretical and scientific underpinnings to the appropriate health career occupation (i.e., nursing, pharmacy, pharmacy technician, clinical research, etc.) to build a solid foundation and drive the profession forward.
4. Social Responsibility (Service). In the area of social responsibility, graduates will develop social and personal responsibility for ongoing professional growth and development including higher education in the appropriate health career profession (i.e., nursing, pharmacy, pharmacy technician, clinical research, etc.).
5. Christian Values. Throughout the program and upon completion of the appropriate health sciences career programs (i.e., nursing, pharmacy, pharmacy technician, clinical research, etc.), students should be able to affect positive clients-patient outcomes by sharing their Christian Values of love, caring, justice and respect, as an advocate client-patient needs and rights.

AUHS recognizes its critical role in community development and social health service through our Christian Values. As a university, we acknowledge that institutional success is defined in large part by what students give back to society, and how students make a difference beyond the four walls of the classroom. As a University, we impress upon all graduates the need for a higher mission based on our Christian Values that encompasses the noble privilege of community service and the need for improving the quality of healthcare in our society through both provision of care and scholarly study of the impact of that care.