Pre-med students who think that a vast amount of knowledge and Forest Park separates them from the School of Medicine will find at least one of those obstacles removed this spring. Next semester, students will be able to take classes offered by the Washington University School of Medicine on the Hilltop Campus.

The courses are part of the Health Administration Program, which has been around since 1946. They were moved to the Hilltop Campus to make the classes more accessible to undergraduate students and encourage higher enrollment levels.

Undergraduates will be able to take one class this spring on the Hilltop Campus: “Understanding and Managing the U.S. Healthcare Services” taught by Dennis Lambert. He said that the purpose of the class is to provide an alternative for students who want to find out about the health care system.

“There isn’t any class on the Hilltop Campus that shows the whole deal,” said Lambert. “The undergraduates can expect to get an understanding of how health care works, how it’s provided, and how providers are organized, along with the legal requirements.”

He said that the class is also intended to educate students in medical careers that don’t require becoming a physician.

“We wanted to show people that if they don’t want to go to med school, there is still this alternative,” said Lambert.

The class will meet twice a week for one-and-a-half hours, analyzing health care provided in the U.S. The topics covered will include the history of the health care system, the system’s structure and the interactions between components and forces already in place that influence the our health care’s structure and behavior.

Lambert has not yet decided on an exact format for the class.

“If a good number shows up, then we’ll invite speakers from the community to talk about the health care system,” said Lambert.

He said that students from all years can take this course, although the course is not suggested for freshmen.

Freshman Alvin Agato, however, who is on the pre-med track, said that he would be very interested in the class.

“It’s good, because then we’ll have a background early on so later on we can understand more of [the health care system] even before med school,” said Agato.

Junior Courtney Heldman said that she would be interested in the course, although she’s not pre-med.

“Non-pre-meds don’t have many opportunities to take medical-related classes,” said Heldman.

Margaret Hummert, coordinator of financial and student services for the program, said that while this is the only undergraduate course offered at this time, more might be added in the future.

“I’m not sure if there will be anything else on that level offered down the road,” said Hummert. “If there is enough interest, that could be possible.”

A graduate course called “Medicine for Non-Physicians” will also be offered on the Hilltop Campus this spring. The class will be taught by professor Bruce Barter, and is designed to make non-medical students familiar with some basic facts of medicine.

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