COMPACT WITH TEXANS

INTRODUCTION

The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth is committed to excellence in education, research, patient care and service. The central mission of the health science center is to provide education and leadership in the advancement of knowledge and practices that lead to healthy aging.

The Center educates health professionals for careers in medicine, public health, teaching and research. Primary health care provides the focus for institutional mission, with special emphasis on meeting the needs of individuals in rural and other underserved areas. Interdisciplinary and integrated health care education, research, patient care and service emphasize promotion of health, prevention of disease and public health issues affecting the patient and society. The institution supports a culturally diverse environment and advocates mutual respect for all members of the health science center community as they strive for excellence. University of North Texas Health Science Center actively collaborates with other health-related and academic institutions, and with the community it serves. The institution is a part of the University of North Texas System.

INSTITUTIONAL PHILOSOPHY

UNT Health Science Center is founded upon principles of mutual regard and respect, recognizing the high degree of interdependence among all those individuals we touch — faculty, staff, students and patients, as well as the citizens of the state of Texas — in contributing successfully to society’s needs for health education, research and health care. Each component of the health science center shares a mission and operates programs that contribute to the following core values:

• Commitment to excellence in education that meets the changing needs for health professionals, public health practitioners and biomedical scientists.
• Commitment to an active role in primary care and preventive medicine.
• Provision of health care to the rural and urban underserved.
• Dedication to solving the complex health problems in the community.
• Commitment to expanding the frontiers of knowledge through cutting-edge research and education in medicine, science and public health.
• Attention to health services research that focuses on cost, access and quality of care.
• Pursuit of population-based approaches to determining health care needs and solutions.
• Commitment to collaboration between medicine and public health to devise a shared view of health and illness.
• Commitment to interdisciplinary efforts and team concepts in health care education, as well as community-centered partnerships in health care delivery.
• Dedication to providing market-driven solutions to health care education and health care services needs.

We seek to instill intellectual zeal, academic proficiency and professional responsibility in a learning environment that fosters personal growth and development. The future course of American health will be influenced significantly by the crucial decisions made by physicians and other health professionals. UNT Health Science Center places greatest value on ensuring that the knowledge, understanding, skills, attitudes and compassion of its graduates are commensurate with the challenges of contemporary American health care. As evidence of success in carrying out the primary care mission and philosophy, UNT Health Science Center is the leader in Texas — and a leader in the nation — in educating physicians who choose to practice in primary care medicine.

CUSTOMER SERVICE PRINCIPLES

University of North Texas Health Science Center is responsible to the executive and legislative branches of Texas State government, through the Chancellor of the UNT System and our Board of Regents. Ultimately, UNT Health Science Center is responsible to all Texas citizens.

The primary customers of University of North Texas Health Science Center are its students. In carrying out its mission, UNT Health Science Center will endeavor:

General Customer Service Principles

• to conduct all agency activities in a legal, open, honest, professional, courteous, efficient and timely manner;
• to perform its mission with the best interest of Texans in mind;
• to be user-friendly;
• to provide an internet site that gives Texans and others access to information on educational programs and institutional services;
• to provide publications, pamphlets and presentations about the institution when requested;

Customer Service Principles Specific to Students

• to provide all interested individuals an understanding of our educational programs, and access to admissions procedures through which they may be considered for admission;
• to ensure that all enrolled students receive an education of high quality;
• to provide students the full range of support services, including access to appropriate grievance procedures, during their period of enrollment; and
• to ensure that all graduates are fully prepared to enter their field of choice.

ACCREDITATION AND CERTIFICATION

Institutional and specialized program accreditations and certifications serve as evidence that UNT Health Science Center has met the appropriate national standards (or benchmarks) to properly educate its students. Major accreditations and certifications include:

Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education

Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant

American Association for Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care

American Association of Blood Banks

American Association of Crime Lab Directors

American Osteopathic Association - Bureau of Professional Education

American Osteopathic Association - Continuing Medical Education

American Osteopathic Association - Osteopathic Postgraduate Training Institute

Council on Education in Public Health

Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations

National Commission for Health Education Credentialing

National Forensic Science Training and Research Center

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

FACULTY AND FACILITIES

UNT Health Science Center has a strong commitment to its students and strives always to provide each student the best education possible. The institution employs an excellent faculty who dedicate themselves to preparing students to succeed in their chosen professional careers. “Real world” experiences and mentoring are also abundant: Medical students and physician assistant students work side by side with faculty physicians and physicians in private practice, clinics and hospitals in both urban and rural communities. Public health students receive practical training in public health departments and volunteer agencies. Biomedical science students exhibit their research at national scientific conferences, as well as the annual Research Appreciation Day, and enjoy a regular schedule of lectures by visiting experts. Health science center alumni also play important roles in student education and development through alumni association-sponsored programs, and informal mentoring and career advising.

The institution maintains outstanding classroom, laboratory, meeting and clinical facilities. Virtually 100 percent of the world’s medical knowledge is available to both the campus community and the public through the Gibson D. Lewis Health Science Library’s extensive computer networks. And, the medical school’s clinics log more than 215,000 patient visits each year.

LIFELONG LEARNING

The health science center promotes and supports the philosophy of lifelong learning for its graduates as well as others in the health care professions. In addition to offering a number of internships, residencies and fellowships, the institution is nationally known for the quality and scope of it accredited Professional and Continuing Education (PACE) programs for physicians. The PACE Office has also obtained providership status from the Texas Nurses Association and is pursuing accreditation to award pharmacists, social workers and allied health professionals continuing education.

EDUCATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS

The institution subscribes to an active model of planning and evaluation in which there is a regular review of the effectiveness of its educational programs and the quality of instruction received by students. In addition to reviewing the scores received by graduates on national examinations, career choice and placements are also examined, and graduates are surveyed at the time of graduation and beyond. The results of review and surveys are used to improve institutional programs.

CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPECTATIONS

The primary customers of University of North Texas Health Science Center are its students. As a matter of principle, schedules and requirements for application for admission, courses offered, and program graduation are well publicized for each educational program in printed catalogs and through the institutional website ( www.hsc.unt.edu ).

STUDENT SERVICES REPRESENTATIVE

There are various mechanisms to handle student complaints, but the primary procedure is through the Associate Dean for Student Affairs. If the issue is not resolved at that level, it is taken to the Dean of the appropriate school. Final recourse is through the Vice-President and Executive Dean of the health science center. The operating principle at UNT Health Science Center is to respond to student issues as soon as is feasible and in the simplest way. The exact timing and the process required depend upon the nature of the complaint received. The Student Services Representative for the health science center’s students is:

Thomas Moorman, MS, EdD
Associate Vice President of Student Affairs
UNT Health Science Center
3500 Camp Bowie Blvd.
Fort Worth , Texas 76107

Phone: 817-735-2505
FAX: 817-735-0448
email: tmoorman@hsc.unt.edu