Division Office: Health Professions Building Room 312, Clifton Campus
Division Phone Number: (513) 569-1670
The mission of the Health and Public Safety Division is to work collaboratively with its stakeholders to achieve excellence in allied health, nursing, public safety, and biology education that is accessible, student focused, and incorporates experiential learning.
The Health and Public Safety Division offers academically rigorous associate's degree and certificate programs that prepare students to earn professional credentials and seek employment in their chosen field of study immediately following graduation. These academic programs provide the theory and practice required for entry into a variety of nursing, allied health, and public safety careers.
The division also offers the RN to BSN Completion Program, which provides an efficient and affordable option for registered nurses without a baccalaureate degree to earn the degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN).
The Health and Public Safety programs have accreditation or approval by national and state agencies when available, so graduates are qualified to sit for credentialing exams offered by certification or licensure organizations and agencies. Many programs have articulation agreements with bachelor degree programs in the area to facilitate transfer of credits.
The Health and Public Safety Division works closely with hundreds of community partners such as area hospitals, health care agencies, fire service organizations, and other educational programs to provide clinical and experiential learning opportunities for health and public safety students.
The Biological Sciences department offers a range of courses to meet the needs of health programs and to provide science requirements for students seeking the Associate of Science degree. When applicable, these courses can be used in transfer to bachelor's degree programs.
College Orientation
An online New Student Orientation program is available for all Cincinnati State students. For more information visit the New Student Orientation page on the College website. A separate orientation to your program of study may also be required depending on your program.
To prepare for success in college, degree-seeking students are required to complete a college First Year Experience (FYE) course within the first 12 credit hours taken at Cincinnati State. For more information about the FYE course offerings, see the First Year Experience Requirement section of this catalog.
Admission to Health and Public Safety Programs
As part of the admission process, entering students meet with an academic advisor who will assist in developing a curriculum plan to guide the student to their academic goals. The advising session uses multiple measures to identify areas that may need reinforcement, provided through activities such as English and Math courses that include integrated help sessions.
Selective Admission Programs
Many Health and Public Safety Division programs receive more applications than space allows. Therefore, students may need to meet specific criteria and complete an additional application by a designated deadline for selective admission (sometimes referred to as "Progression") to the core/technical course sequence of their chosen program. It is important to keep this information in mind as you create your education plan with an academic advisor.
Selective Admission steps may include successfully completing designated courses, taking a program-specific admissions test, and/or maintaining a specified grade point average while taking required courses at the College. A rating system is used to determine which students will progress into the selected program.
Many health programs have physical and cognitive requirements for those entering their professions. Information about these requirements is available in description of the program on the College website, on program information sheets available in the Division office, and in program handbooks available from the program chair.
Experiential Learning
The Health and Public Safety Division supports the College’s mission of providing educational programs with a combination of theory and practice. For many programs in the Health and Public Safety Division, experience in the clinical setting is an integral part of the educational process. Experiential learning components provide students with the practical experience they need to begin work immediately upon graduation.
Individual program descriptions in this section of the Catalog provide specific information about requirements for clinical experience, cooperative education, or internship in Health and Public Safety fields.
To ensure the safety of students and others, our affiliated partners in the health and public safety community require students to comply with certain criteria prior to beginning clinical and experiential learning. Requirements will vary, but generally include a health examination, immunizations, background screenings, and relevant training. Proof of coverage under a policy of health insurance may also be required. Drug testing may be required at any time during student enrollment in a Health and Public Safety program, depending on the requirements of the clinical or practicum site.
Cincinnati State strongly recommends that students obtain personal health insurance coverage. Please be aware that lack of coverage under a policy of health insurance may affect a student’s eligibility to participate in the clinical learning experience. Information about an optional health insurance plan for purchase by students is available from the City of Cincinnati Health Department. For details contact Angela Robinson at angela.robinson2@cincinnati-oh.gov.
Health Student Support Services
Cincinnati State Health and Public Safety Division students can obtain comprehensive educational and professional support services to enhance classroom learning and assist in professional development. Support services available to students include special seminars; individualized tutorial assistance; career, personal, and financial counseling; job shadowing opportunities; mentoring; writing and study skills assistance; and assistance developing a re-entry plan following failure in a technical program.
Ohio Transfer 36
The Ohio Department of Higher Education developed the Ohio Transfer 36 to facilitate transfer of credits from one Ohio public college or university to another. The Ohio Transfer 36 contains 36 to 40 semester hours of course credits in the areas of communication, mathematics, arts and humanities, social and behavioral sciences, and natural and physical sciences. A completed Ohio Transfer 36 at one college or university automatically meets the requirements for the Ohio Transfer 36 at another college or university once the student is admitted. For additional information, see the Transferring College Credit and the Ohio Transfer 36 sections of this Catalog.
Associate’s degree programs in the Health and Public Safety Division contain in their curricula many of the required courses for the Cincinnati State Transfer 36. Students who wish to complete the Ohio Transfer 36 should schedule the additional courses at their convenience.
Students who transfer to an Ohio public university for baccalaureate degrees will find that the Cincinnati State Associate of Applied Science degree, and other associate's degrees, combined with a Ohio Transfer 36 showing grades of C or higher, receives preferential consideration at the receiving institution.