Office of Health Professions Advising

Through group and 1-on-1 advising, events and our online resources, the Office of Health Professions Advising provides support and guidance for all ��ɬ students and alums with an interest in exploring topics in health through their studies and their future professional endeavors.

Many students who consider themselves “pre-health” are hoping to enter graduate training in clinical professions such as nursing, dentistry, and veterinary and human medicine. However, pre-health students are also exploring and pursuing public health and other non-medical professions such as physical or occupational therapy. Some students with an interest in health pursue Ph.D.'s to enter research and/or academia.

Pre-health advising is available as soon as you are admitted to ��ɬ and continues through the time that you matriculate at a professional school. We encourage all students with an interest in the health professions to connect with us early, even if you are unsure whether you “are pre-health,” so that we can help you to make informed decisions.

In recent years we have supported students with interests in dentistry, genetic counseling, human medicine, medical physics, nursing (including RN, Midwifery, and other advanced practice specialty areas), occupational therapy, optometry, pathologists’ assistant, pharmacy, physical therapy, physician assistant, podiatry, public health (including biostatistics, community health, epidemiology, environmental health, maternal and fetal health and more), research, veterinary medicine and more!

Upcoming events

Opportunities and support

We love the variety of interests our students have within the health professions and will happily help you to explore and plan for whatever profession you hope to enter. If you have questions about what a particular pre-professional pathway might look like for you as a student at ��ɬ, you are welcome to contact our office to discuss specifics.

We offer robust academic and career advising, sharing resources for career exploration, academic planning, and building non-academic qualifications for the health professions. Throughout the academic year we offer presentations and group advising sessions; we provide substantial print and electronic resources and share information on external resources and events, as well. All students, regardless of their specific profession of interest, are encouraged to join the student-run Pre-Health Association.

The Committee on the Health Professions is a standing committee and is composed of faculty and staff from relevant areas of the college. These individuals are knowledgeable about the ��ɬ curriculum as well as requirements for professional schools. Faculty on the committee may informally provide pre-health advising, for example when pre-health students are in their classes, labs, or are their major or premajor advisees. Committee members also write committee letters for applicants to certain professional schools, and they steer the direction of pre-health programming at ��ɬ.

The College's PLUMS mentoring system is in place for most of the introductory science courses that are typically required by health profession schools. PLUMS mentors hold open hours once or twice a week, where students gather as a group to work through problems and concepts with the support of their PLUMS mentor and classmates. Faculty also hold office hours where you can go to ask questions about a class. Tutoring is available for students who need 1:1 support.

Involvement in a research project is not a requirement for pre-health students, although professional schools appreciate the personal, professional, and sometimes technical skills that can grow through participation in the research process. We have a large number of active research laboratories and projects. If you have research interests you may work with professors in varied disciplines, both within and outside of the sciences.

��ɬ students find health-related clinical and volunteer opportunities in many places. Some are through groups on campus. Some are at local hospitals, private practices, or health clinics. Some are through study abroad programs. Many students choose to explore other things during the academic year and focus on clinical experiences over their summers and other breaks. Opportunities beyond the local area are truly limitless. Both the pre-health office and the Career Development Center provide support, contacts, and resources to help you find the opportunities of interest to you.

When you are ready to apply to professional school, we will offer guidance with all aspects of the process including entrance exam preparation, essay writing, school selection, and interview preparation. Applicants to medical, dental, optometry and podiatry schools may request a “committee letter” — preferred by some professional schools — which provides a comprehensive summary of an applicant’s qualifications and assessment of their readiness for professional school.

Every year we work with successful international applicants to health profession schools. The process is more competitive for international professional school applicants, and international students will face different logistical hurdles than domestic students due to visa requirements that may limit certain opportunities.

Happening at ��ɬ

Pre-Health in the news

Alum Dr. Megan Young, left, offers support to Edouard Joseph, 91, moments after giving him a COVID-19 vaccination, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021, at his home in the Mattapan neighborhood of Boston. (Photo courtesy of AP)

Bringing the vaccine home

��ɬ alum Dr. Megan Young ’99 is a home-based primary care doctor who is bringing the COVID-19 vaccine to homebound elders.

André White is an assistant professor of biology.

The sixth sense

��ɬ’s André White discusses the complex sensory systems that bring the world into our brains with National Public Radio’s Short Wave.

Cora Fernandez Anderson, assistant professor of politics, is the author of “Fighting for Abortion Rights in Latin America.”

The road to legal abortion in Argentina

��ɬ’s Cora Fernandez Anderson’s recent article in Ms. magazine outlines the successful fight to legalize abortion in Argentina.

��ɬ in the News

More Pre-Health News

Pre-Health staff

Department head(s)

Kathryn Lipp

Director of Health Professions Advising

Staff

Jacqueline Collette

Coordinator, Office of Health Professions Advising

Committee on the Health Professions

Members

Patty Brennan

Associate Professor of Biological Sciences

Kyle Broaders

Associate Professor of Chemistry
Co-chair of Biochemistry

Jacqueline Collette

Coordinator, Office of Health Professions Advising

Kathryn Lipp

Director of Health Professions Advising

Jacquelyne Luce

Senior Lecturer in Gender Studies

Kelly Woods

Associate Director, Career Advising

Contact us

Office of Health Professions Advising

The Office of Health Professions Advising supports students & alums hoping to enter graduate training in clinical professions such as nursing, dentistry, and veterinary and human medicine, or who are pursuing public health & other non-medical professions.

pre-health@mtholyoke.edu
413-538-3389
Career Development Center

Jacqueline Collette

Coordinator, Office of Health Professions Advising

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