Mission
The UAMS College of Health Professions serves the state of Arkansas as the primary arm of the University of Arkansas in offering programs that provide education, service, and research in the allied health professions. The College was organized as a separate college within the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in 1971.
In fulfilling its mission, the College of Health Professions offers education and training opportunities for students of the allied health professions to prepare them as graduates to assume the roles of the professional. The college curricula coordinate the professional course work with the arts, humanities, and basic and social sciences into a total educational experience that emphasizes life-long learning in the allied health professions.
Patient and public health education is an important part of the mission of the College of Health Professions. In its public service role, programs in the college render patient care services as part of their educational efforts under the supervision of faculty. Technical advice and consultative services are available from the college to institutions and agencies throughout the state. The professional service mission of the college includes the offering of continuing education courses to practitioners to enhance teaching, administration, and professional skills.
Research in the College of Health Professions involves the educational process as well as professional fields. The research mission involves the quest for new information which addresses the health and health care educational needs of the state, and the sharing of this information with the scientific community.
Role and Scope
The UAMS College of Health Professions’ mission is achieved through the varied offerings of its departments. The college, the only one of its kind at an academic health science center in Arkansas, has as its main role the education of allied health professionals to serve in the health care delivery system in the state. The specific educational programs currently offered within the College of Health Professions are provided by ten academic departments. They include: Audiology and Speech Pathology; Dental Hygiene; Dietetics and Nutrition; Genetic Counseling; Imaging and Radiation Sciences; Laboratory Sciences Occupational Therapy; Physical Therapy; Physician Assistant Studies; and Respiratory Care. Programs range from academic requirements of one year to programs that require four or more years. Academic awards include associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. Nearly all the programs stipulate prerequisites for admission that must be completed at another (general undergraduate) institution.
Other roles of the College of Health Professions include public and professional service, and research. The college offers professional continuing education opportunities to enhance the abilities of practicing allied health professionals; serves as a resource center for allied health planning, education, and delivery systems in Arkansas, and develops applied research programs in allied health. All of these roles combine to support the overall mission of the college.
Our Core Values
The UAMS College of Health Professions values integrity, respect, diversity and health equity, teamwork, creativity, excellence and safety. We have started to recognize outstanding faculty and staff who exhibit each of these values. Those team members will be featured below with the core value for which they were recognized.
Integrity
We foster, encourage and expect honesty, accountability and transparency in pursuit of the highest ethical and professional standards in all that we do. We take responsibility for our performance, and will engage employees, patients and families, learners and stakeholders in our critical decision that are timely, complete, and accurate.
Respect
We embrace a culture of professionalism with respect for the dignity of all persons.
Diversity and Health Equity
We are committed to the importance of the diversity of UAMS leadership, faculty, staff and learners in order to enhance the education of our learners, reduce health disparities in our state, and honor the unique contributions provided by a diversity of values, beliefs, and cultures.
Our featured team member for Diversity and Health Equity is Edward Williams, DMSc, M.Ed., PA-C, Chair and Program Director in the Department of Physician Assistant Studies.
Read more about Dr. Williams’ recognition for diversity and health equity.
Teamwork
We seek to create interdisciplinary and inter-professional, synergistic and collegial relationships characterized by honesty, collaboration, inclusiveness and flexibility.
Our featured team member for Teamwork is Gloria Johnson, Executive Assistant in the Department of Laboratory Sciences.
Read more about Gloria’s recognition for teamwork.
Creativity
We encourage and support innovation, imagination, ingenuity, resourcefulness and vision.
Excellence
We strive to achieve, through continuous improvement, adherence to institutional policies and best practices, and collaboration with colleagues, patients, and families, the highest quality and standards in all our endeavors.
Safety
We commit to protect the health and safety of all who we serve through our mission: our patients, our learners, our colleagues and our neighbors in the community, state, nation and in the world. By sustaining a culture of safety, our daily work and our strategic planning promote better health care outcomes, the creation of health equity for all and a sense of joy in our work.