Assistant Professor Ron Brouwer has been teaching in the college’s Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Management (BHMC) program for nearly a decade, first as an adjunct instructor and now as the program’s director for the past three years. Brouwer retired from his career as an officer in the U.S. Navy Medical Service Corps in 2016, then held leadership roles in the private healthcare industry, so he brings crucial real-world experience that he passes on to students every day.
“The connection between theory and practice makes the learning experience more engaging and meaningful for students, helping them retain and apply the knowledge gained in the classroom,” said Brouwer, who worked as an oncology practice manager and patient financial services manager at a not-for-profit hospital in South Carolina before joining Bellevue University full time.
Brouwer served for nearly 22 years in the Navy. During his final 12 years as an officer in the Medical Services Corps, Brouwer was stationed at multiple healthcare facilities, with duties that included medical planning; patient administration; medical records and coding; and health information management. He also gained valuable experience during one non-healthcare-related tour as a staff member at Officer Training Command in Newport, Rhode Island.
“The role provided me with many hours of podium time as an instructor,” he said. “Plus, it gave me the opportunity to develop and implement curriculum updates for the course, which also was great experience.”
Brouwer’s experience with evolving curriculum is critical to his role as director of the BHMC program. He and others in the college are continuously assessing the curriculum to ensure it remains current and relevant for students. Currently that means a focus on consumerism in healthcare, as people are more likely to conduct their due diligence before choosing healthcare providers.
“They have information at their fingertips, so it’s easy to go online and be picky. It’s extremely important that we are speaking about consumerism in healthcare and the role that our graduates will be playing in ensuring the healthcare facilities they join are meeting the needs of patients to the highest standards using emotional intelligence,” Brouwer said.