W&J: Pre-Health Professions

Important ON-campus events for current pre-health students:

The October 2009 version of the Pre-Health Newsletter is now available! Click on the "Pre-Health Newsletters" on the menu to the left.
The pre-SOMA (Student Osteopathic Medical Association) Club will meet on Thursday, November 12 at 8pm in the Media Room in the Hub. The goals of the group are to promote awareness of osteopathic medicine, help students prepare for the MCAT's, to educate students about the requirements for different Osteopathic schools, and to visit local Osteo schools such as LECOM, PCOM, and WVSOM, and to have guest speakers come to campus, both doctors and current medical school students. The next scheduled trip is to visit WVSOM this Saturday, November 14 at 8am. Transportation will leave at 4am. Please contact Chris Cappellini for more information.
The Pre-Health Interview Workshop is Monday, November 16th, 7-8pm, Dieter-Porter 200. This workshop is also intended for Juniors and Seniors getting ready to apply this summer to health professions schools. The workshop will discuss the do’s and don’ts of interviewing, and will also describe the process of scheduling a mock interview with a Committee on Health Professions member in January or February. All pre-health students that are applying should plan a mock interview. Dr. Myers from the Psychology Department and the Committee on Health Professions will hand out the paperwork necessary to sign-up for a mock interview at this meeting.
The Pre-Health Portfolio Workshop/Chat is scheduled for Monday, November 23rd, 7-745pm, in the "Living Room" area outside of the Career Services Office (near the mailroom). Roberta Cross, from the Career Services Office, along with three senior pre-health students that have applied to health professions schools this year, will bring along examples of their portfolios and will answer questions and provide advice about putting together a high quality portfolio. We held this more "informal" meeting last year, and we've heard from students that it was very successful.
The Pre-Health Professions Society (PHPS) student group will meet on Tuesday, December 1st at 7pm in Dieter-Porter Room 100. The officers of the Club will give a description of club and how students can become involved. If you have questions, please contact Larry Nolan for more information.
The Committee on Health Professions has decided to discontinue, effective immediately, the Integrated Pre-Health Enrichment Program (IPEP) designed to assist students in preparing for the MCAT examination. Lack of student interest over the 3-year period of the program was the primary factor in making this decision. Students are encouraged to seek out other MCAT Preparation opportunities, including in-person classes in Pittsburgh run by Princeton Review, Kaplan, and ExamKrackers, as well as numerous other print and online resources. If you have questions about this decision, or about other options for MCAT preparation, please contact a member of the Committee on Health Professions.
Starting this Spring (2010), BIO/MTH 245, Applied Statistics for the Life Sciences, will be a substitute for MTH 225, Probability and Statistics, in the Pre-Health Curriculum. More details will be available by the time of registration this fall. If you have any immediate questions, please contact Dr. Jason Kilgore (Biology) or Dr. Ryan Higginbottom (Mathematics).
If you are interested in watching the PBS special from this past spring, Doctors' Diaries, please see Dr. Klitz. The video follows a group of doctors from their first day of medical school in 1987 through the following 21 years. The running time of the video is approximately 2 hours. You can also watch the video in segments at the PBS web site for the program.
The schedule of Pre-Health Meetings for the 2009-2010 academic year are posted. Please use the "Pre-Health Student Meetings" link to the left to access the schedule.
Congratulations to the newly-elected student officers of the Pre-Health Professions Society: Larry Nolan (President), Sharon McCray (Vice-President), Ashley Smith (Secretary), and Craig Rumbaugh (Treasurer).

Updated OFF-campus events for current pre-health students:

Links to information about internship and volunteer opportunities, including summer opportunities, is posted under the Pre-Health Professions Society (including info for students) link on this page.
For those interested in Allopathic Medicine, The Commonwealth Medical College will be holding a series of Open Houses to provide information about admissions, requirements, curriculum, financial aid, etc. at a series of events in September through November. Full details about days, times, and locations are posted on the bulletin board outside of Dieter-Porter 300. In brief, they will be in Williamsport, PA on 9/30, Allentown, PA on 10/21, Philadelphia, PA on 10/26, Scranton, PA on 11/17, and Wilkes-Barre, PA on 11/23.
The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) will be holding its annual fall open house in Saturday, November 14, 830am - 1230pm, on the WVSOM campus in Lewisburg, WV. The open house is a chance to learn about WVSOM, admissions requirements, financial aid, and about the field of osteopathic medicine. For more information and to register for the Open House, check the WVSOM website at http://www.wvsom.edu/applicants/recruiting.cfm or call 1-888-276-7836.
The Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine (OCPM) offers internship opportunities every January, June, and July to give students the chance to learn about podiatric medicine. If you are interested in this opportunity, and to obtain a copy of the application, please check: http://www.ocpm.edu/departments/student_affairs/admissions/internship.asp.
I know that some of you have heard that the University of Pittsburgh is starting a Physician Assistant (PA) program early in 2010. There is currently not information online about this program, but I have posted a letter sent to a W&J student describing the basics of that program. That letter is posted on the bulletin board outside of Dieter-Porter Room 300. The program has also been given its temporary accreditation so they will start with an entering class in January, 2010.

Description of Pre-Health Program at W&J:

Students preparing for admission to graduate schools in the health professions may elect to major in any discipline. If they wish to be recommended to professional schools by the Committee on Health Professions, they should register with the Committee on Health Professions as early as possible, and maintain that registration during their undergraduate preparation. The committee provides recommendations for applicants to health-professional schools in the fields of allopathic medicine, osteopathic medicine, dental medicine, veterinary medicine, podiatric medicine, optometry, physical therapy, occupational therapy, or physician assistant studies.

To secure a recommendation from the committee, in addition to the requirements of a major, a student must successfully complete the 10 to 13 courses in biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, English, psychology, or sociology as designated for their chosen career goals in the Student Pre-Health Handbook. This document is available from the Committee on Health Professions and electronically on this website.

The College has agreements regarding admission of qualified students to the Temple University School of Medicine; the Drexel University School of Physical Therapy; the Chatham University School of Physical Therapy; the Pennsylvania College of Optometry; the Saint Francis University Department of Physician Assistant Sciences; and the Chatham University Program of Master of Physician Assistant Studies. Details are available in the Student Pre-Health Handbook, and by clicking the "Affiliations" link in the menu to the left.

Please click on the Pre-Health Professions Society (PHPS) link to find information about MCAT examinations, the IPEP test preparation program, information about internships and volunteer opportunities, and links to other useful resources. This site was created and is maintained by PHPS students.