POTSDAM -- Clarkson University has announced a new undergraduate minor in medicine and healthcare..

“In order to become an effective health-practitioner, students need a broad framework of study so they can effectively pursue a career in the diverse healthcare fields. To address this need, Clarkson University has added a Medicine & Healthcare Minor,” a press release from the Potsdam university says.

This program is designed to provide a course of study that introduces students in any major to “the interdisciplinary range of knowledge and perspectives that must be integrated to be an effective health-practitioner,” the announcement says.

Clarkson says it has selected the required and elective courses to be relevant to health professional practice and to provide broad coverage of topics including human anatomy and physiology, medical history, medical ethics, and health psychology.

It will also include a seminar to familiarize students with the variety of health-professional careers and introduce the students to working health professionals. There is also a mandatory experiential learning component.

“The medical and healthcare professions are among the fastest growing in the US, and student interest in health care fields is growing rapidly at Clarkson University. This minor provides an opportunity for students in any Clarkson program to acquire the foundations for pursuing a health care career and highlights Clarkson’s commitment to students who will be the next generation of healthcare practitioners” according to Clarkson Biology Dept. Chair Prof. Tom Langen.

This interdisciplinary minor will be overseen by the Department of Biology and is open to students in all degree programs. To obtain the minor, students must complete 23 credits. Students can enroll now in the minor.