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TREASURE COAST - The health science division of Indian River State College is looking for local businesses and organizations in health-care related fields to collaborate with IRSC bachelor's-level college students on capstone projects.
The partnership takes place at the culmination of the bachelor's degree program in health care management when students complete special projects to demonstrate proficiency in their field of study. This provides a unique opportunity, at no cost for businesses and organizations, to have qualified, bachelor's-level students work on projects the agency might not otherwise have the opportunity to complete.
A capstone project is the final project Indian River State College bachelor's- level students complete, requiring them to work as "consultants" with an assigned business or agency to address a specific issue or problem defined by the agency.
The scope of the project is agreed on between the agency and the supervising Indian River State College faculty member. Faculty provide guidance to the students throughout the project, and the business or agency provides a staff member as the capstone coordinator for the organization to work with the students.
Students spend time researching and interviewing key stakeholders, attending meetings, shadowing and working toward successful completion of the project.
At the end of the course, the students present their projects to professors and organization representatives. Capstone projects are approximately 270 hours over a 12- to 16- week semester.
The goals of the capstone project are to:
. Identify an organizational management issue/problem.
. Examine the history of issues related to the problem and its impact on stakeholders.
. Develop a strategic plan and strategy implementation process for a solution issue/problem.
. Evaluate the project plan using principles from organizational management theory.
. Integrate concepts from other courses/experiences to the successful completion of this project.
For more information on how to participate with Indian River State College health science student capstone projects, contact Roscoe Dandy, health care management faculty, at (772) 462-7297 or email rdandy@irsc.edu.