Mission

The School of Health Professions is committed to providing students the opportunity to transform their lives by preparing them for a rewarding career in the health professions. The School is dedicated to providing a high quality learning environment that fosters a multicultural interprofessional perspective, spirit of scientific inquiry, lifelong learning, and ethical behavior for all students.

Vision

The NYIT School of Health Professions will be a leading private institution that provides scientific and health-related resources for all ages using cultural competency approaches. As part of its vision, the School will impart its students and community with the knowledge, tools and inspiration to improve the lives of diverse people and communities with an emphasis on health and wellness. In addition to offering programs in nursing, health sciences, health and wellness, nutrition, occupational therapy, physical therapy and physician assistant studies, curricula focus on the importance of thinking differently about individuals across the life span. Through both research and clinical practice, attention to a holistic approach at all stages of life is the basis for curricula, community service and development of future resources.

Both the vision and mission for the School of Health Professions is part of the revitalization at New York Tech to provide professional degrees in a global economy.

History

The School of Health Professions is comprised of both undergraduate and graduate programs. On the undergraduate level, the school offers bachelor’s degrees in Nursing, Health Sciences and Health and Wellness. On the graduate level, master’s degrees are available in Clinical Nutrition, Occupational Therapy and Physician Assistant Studies. A doctoral degree (DPT) in Physical Therapy is also offered. The history of the school dates back to as early as 1996 when it began by providing bachelor degrees in Nursing and Occupational Therapy. At that time, the Nursing program was licensed to provide degrees through the New York State Department of Education. In 2010, it became fully accredited by CCNE. The Occupational Therapy Program became accredited in 1999 and later transitioned to the master’s degree in 2003. Plans are presently under way to offer a doctoral degree (OTD) within the next several years.

The Department of Interdisciplinary Studies houses bachelor degrees in Health Sciences and Health and Wellness along with a master’s degree in Clinical Nutrition. The undergraduate Health Sciences program was created in 2009 while the Health and Wellness program was instituted in 2014. The MS in Clinical Nutrition program was initially approved in 1983 through the medical school. In September 1996 the Clinical Nutrition program was later moved into the school with the other health professions.

The Physician Assistant Studies program also began as an undergraduate bachelor’s degree in 1999 and later moved to a master’s level in 2004. The number of students in that program has grown from 20 in the original cohort to 56 students today.

Finally, the Department of Physical Therapy enrolled its first cohort of students in 1998. This was a bachelor’s program that later transitioned to a master’s degree in 1999 and eventually to the doctorate (DPT ) in 2002. Each department has experienced continuous growth since its founding as the demand for skilled health professionals soars.

Departments & Centers

• Center for Global Health is a multidisciplinary collaboration with NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine to help students engage in global health practice and policy, as well as deliver health services to underserved countries worldwide.

• Institute for Clinical Competence (ICC) incorporates high-tech training models and real-world health environments to assess student skills and performance across multiple disciplines. In addition to standardized patient actors, the ICC features high-fidelity robotic patients that simulate a broad array of human ailments.
• The two-week summer Health and Medical Academy welcomes high school students interested in nursing, clinical nutrition, occupational therapy, physical therapy, physician assistant studies, and osteopathic medicine.