Curriculum

Advanced Standing in MHSRC program

Clinical Placements

Licensure/Certification Options

Class Schedules

Course Descriptions

BSRS Curriculum

Incoming students are required to complete 85 hours of pre-requisite coursework at an accredited university prior to attending the LSUHSC BSRS program.  The BSRS curriculum consists of 45 credit hours, typically completed in 3 semesters for full-time students.  Part-time study is an option for students.  The curriculum is primary composed of a rehabilitation component and a clinical component.  The rehabilitation component provides the undergraduate student with basic skills and knowledge to work with individuals with disabilities to enhance quality of life issues, independence, and vocational pursuits.  The clinical component provides students the opportunity to experience the practical application of rehabilitation employment in clinical community site placements.  Students are required to complete two distinct placements during the second and third semesters, respectively.  The fieldwork experience requires that students complete 180 hours in a community site under the direct supervision of a rehabilitation professional and faculty supervisor.  The internship experience requires that students complete 400 hours on site under the direct supervision of a rehabilitation professional and faculty supervisor. 

Although subject to change, the typical curriculum sequence is as follows;

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Advanced Standing in the MHSRC Program

BSRS complete 18 hours of graduate level coursework (5000 level course) within the 45 credit hour curriculum.  Students who apply and are accepted to the LSUHSC graduate program in Rehabilitation Counseling may apply for advanced standing in the MHSRC program.  If a student receives advanced standing, 12 hours of graduate coursework may be waived in the MHSRC program allowing students to “accelerate” their program of study to complete the MHSRC in 4 semesters versus the typical 5 semester program of study or allow students the opportunity to complete additional coursework in specialized area of interest.

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Clinical Placements

BSRS students are provided the unique opportunity to complete two distinct clinical placement sites in the Spring and Summer semesters.  The placement component connects the classroom and the “real world” allowing students to discern interests within the vast field of rehabilitation.  Placement of students in clinical settings is a very deliberate process between the placement coordinator and the student who consult during the fall semester to discuss a student’s interests and future plans.  All efforts are made to honor a student’s first choice, but the placement decision is ultimately determined by the placement coordinator and the department. 

The site placement sequence consists of a fieldwork and an internship.  The fieldwork (Rehab 4613) consists of 180 clock hours, 12 hours per week on-site with a fieldwork seminar course for Spring semester.  The internship (Rehab 4630) consists of a total of 400 clock hours, 40 hours per week on-site with an internship seminar course for the Summer semester.  Both courses run for the entire semester, including finals week, and are graded on a pass/fail basis. 

                        Fieldwork - Spring  - 180 hours on site and class every other week

                        Internship - Summer - 400 hours on site and class every week

The site placement sequence provides practical on the job training, interaction with clients, and direct contact with professionals in the field that enables integration of didactic preparation with actual practice.  As such, the site placement sequence is an extremely important component of the program that prepares students for actual entry into the field.  The professionals with whom students interact become mentors who facilitate this preparation.  Site supervisors are seen as sharing in the teaching mission of the department and joining the faculty in promoting the comprehensive development of the students as future professionals.  At the same time, the Department and the students are valuable resources to the various sites in accomplishing their respective missions.  To ensure high quality of the site placement experience, all faculty supervisors will be certified rehabilitation counselors and all site supervisors will meet the minimum requirements. In addition, it is preferred that the site supervisors are certified rehabilitation counselors (CRC).

The LSUHSC Department of Rehabilitation Counseling has developed appropriate and varied training sites for students.   Students are typically matched with a site that is within an 80 mile radius of the Health Sciences Center.  Distant placements will be evaluated on an individual basis between the student, placement coordinator, and faculty supervisor.  Examples of the types of agencies which provide a suitable site placement experience include the following:

Community Mental Health Centers                     Community Based Not for Profit Agencies

Hospital based Rehabilitation Units                     Proprietary Rehabilitation Agencies

Psychiatric Treatment Centers                           Rehabilitation Centers

Residential Programs                                         Sheltered Workshops

State Offices of Rehabilitation                            Substance Abuse Programs

Vocational Programs                                         School Settings

All fieldwork and internship experiences are UNPAID.  Students are not allowed to receive any compensation for the experience.  

For more information on the placement process, please see the BSRS Fieldwork Manual.

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Licensure/Certification Options

A description of licensure and certification options is listed under the Profession link of this website. 

BSRS students are not eligible for licensure in the state of Louisiana but have a few certification options as BSRS graduates.

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Class Schedules

Courses in the BSRS curriculum are typically taught in 3 hour blocks once per week.  Fridays during the semester are blocked out as “project days” allowing students the opportunity to collaborate on group projects without classes being scheduled on that day. 

The following links provide an example of the course schedules for the 2004-2005 calendar school year.  The course schedules change each semester depending on the instructor’s needs, so these examples are only to provide you with a general idea of what to expect. 

Links to Fall, Spring and Summer

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Course Descriptions

REHAB 4602 Rehabilitation Programs and Community Resources                               3

Detailed review of the variety of rehabilitation programs and their interface with community resource agencies including counseling, adjustment, training and evaluation programs in the various settings in which these programs are generally found.  Emphasis will be placed on program descriptions, programmatic goals, and methods of achieving goals.  Students will conduct one site-study at a rehab agency.

REHAB 4604 Case Management and Individual Rehabilitation Planning                      3

Introduction to the case management process, such as advocacy, case-finding, case-recording, caseload management as well as funding and routine service coordination. This course will also acquaint the student with the planning process as it relates to rehabilitation goals and objectives. Students will become acquainted with the process of problem analysis, long range and short-term planning, and the provision of services in order to reach rehabilitation objectives.

REHAB 4611 Interpersonal Helping and Human Relationship Skills                            3

This course focuses on the skills and issues involved in the helping process. Interpersonal helping and human relations skills include effective communication skills, i.e., the ability to hear and understand verbal messages, perceive nonverbal messages, listen responsively, understand and respond empathically. Development of these skills will help students progress through the initial stage of helping during which rapport and trust develops (working alliance), through the second stage of defining and clarifying the problem, to empowering the client to act. Issues that addressed during the helping process include values clarification, resistance, missed opportunity and unused potential, and self-efficacy.

REHAB 4613   Fieldwork                                                                                                 3

Designed to give the student first-hand knowledge of the purpose, function, services and

clientele of an agency.  Students will work on-site for 12 hours/week totaling 180 hours during the Spring semester in a rehabilitation setting and participate in scheduled seminars.  All fieldwork experiences are unpaid. 

REHAB 4628 Testing and Measurement in Rehabilitation                                            3

Introductory survey of methods and techniques utilized in vocational evaluation and work adjustment, including basic testing concepts, the relationship of testing to service planning and delivery, qualifications to administer various assessment measures, and understanding and interpreting assessment results.

REHAB 4630 Undergraduate Internship                                                                       12

Students are required to complete a 400 hour fieldwork experience during the Summer semester in a rehabilitation setting involving the following features: (1.) specific learning objectives agreed upon by faculty supervisor, on-site supervisor, and student; (2.) periodic meetings with the faculty supervisor as well as the on-site supervisor; and (3.) an evaluation of the student by the faculty supervisor and on-site supervisor, as well as a self-evaluation by the student.

REHAB 5601 Foundations of Rehabilitation Counseling I                                            3

Graduate level course.  Students learn the legislative, historical, and philosophical roots of rehabilitation.  Topics covered include federal and local mandates for the rehabilitation of individuals with disabilities, independent living concepts, and the basic principles of human services and helping techniques.  A comprehensive review of the variety of rehabilitation program across the public, private-non-profit, and proprietary settings is provided.  Emphasis is placed on ethical decision-making related to working with people who have disabilities and the development of a case management approach to providing services. 

REHAB 5602 Medical Aspects of Disability                                                                   3

Graduate level course.  This course is designed to provide students with knowledge and understanding of the medical and functional implications of a wide variety of disabilities.  Curriculum components include learning medical terminology and the use of medical information for facilitation the vocational rehabilitation and independent living of people with physical, sensory, and cognitive disabilities.  The medical and psychological needs as well as individual and community resources typically associated with treating and managing these conditions are reviewed.  Emphasis is place on assessing, discussing, and resolving the personal, professional, and environmental challenges each disability presents. 

REHAB 5603 Psycho-Social Aspects of Disability                                                            3

Graduate level course.  Students acquire knowledge and understanding of the myriad psychosocial facets of the status and experience of disability.  Curriculum components include identification and discussion of psychological and sociological issues associated with disability and their impact on vocational rehabilitation, community living and social perception.  The focus of the course is analysis of the total situation of living with a disability, including:  environmental and attitudinal barriers and resources; multicultural and other counseling process issues;  personal reflection about one’s attitudes and motivation as a helping professional;  education, vocational and socio-economic opportunities; adjustment to disability and interpersonal interaction; influences of the family, popular culture, technology, and the consumer empowerment movement. 

REHAB 5611 Foundations of Rehabilitation Counseling II                                             3

Graduate level course.  This course focuses on the relationship between disability and the legal and insurance systems, the similarities and differences between traditional rehabilitation practices and the private-for-profit setting.  Students learn strategies for rehabilitation needs assessment and to apply techniques of job and labor market analysis, job development, placement and supported employment, and the development of life care planning services for people with catastrophic injuries or severe disabilities.  In addition, the course focuses on issues that necessitate careful ethical consideration across the various roles and work settings both in the public and private-for-profit sectors.

REHAB 5653 Human Behavior Management                                                                 3

Graduate level course.  This course introduces the principles of human behavior and techniques for managing behavioral change in a variety of rehabilitation settings.  Students learn to target socially significant behaviors, to select behavioral strategies to improve targeted behaviors and to demonstrate a reliable relationship between the behavior change strategy and the improved behavior.

REHAB 5658  Substance Abuse in Rehabilitation                                                          3

Graduate level course.  Approaches to rehabilitation of a variety of substance abuse-related disabilities are explored.  Topics covered include: the short term and long-term effects of various drugs, and their interactions; types of treatment modalities and facilities (including Employee Assistance Programs); legal, economic, and ethical issues; and preventive and educational techniques.

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