Pre-Health
About Health Professions Advising: Pre-Health
The pre-health program is offered through F&M’s Health Professions Advising as a supplement to your chosen major — but while you won’t declare your major until your sophomore year, your pre-health advising experience will begin the moment you step on campus. Through Health Professions Advising, you’ll enjoy individualized guidance on recommended courses to take and specialized advising, programming, resources, and more to help you develop the skills and experiences you need to compete for post-graduate opportunities.
Graduate Record Examination (GRE) Preparation
If you plan to attend graduate school after graduating from F&M, you will need to take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). With the help of the Health Professions Advising team, you can prepare for this exam with customized study and preparation strategies and through test-preparation resources, including an official practice test from the Educational Testing Service.
Clinical Opportunities
With our guidance, you’ll uncover exciting opportunities to immerse yourself in the day-to-day life of medicine prior to entering the field. If you have a specific area of interest, you’ll receive mentorship and support to find clinical opportunities.
In particular, physician assistant (PA) programs generally require over 500 hours of direct patient care. Pre-PA students receive guidance throughout their time at F&M on the different ways they can complete these hours, including serving as an EMT, volunteering as a patient transporter at a local hospital, performing clinical research, working as a certified nursing assistant or a caregiver, and more. If you’re interested in physical therapy, you can shadow in several settings, such as in-patient at Lancaster General Hospital and outpatient in several local clinics and private practices.
Research Opportunities
Benjamin Rush Pre-Health Honor Society
Clubs and organizations offer a fun and exciting way to get involved while supplementing your academic experience. In your sophomore or junior year, you can apply to become a member of F&M’s Benjamin Rush Pre-Health Honor Society, an organization that hosts programs and events and creates a sense of community among pre-health students.
Success Beyond F&M
F&M pre-health students are distinctly prepared to continue forging their paths to successful healthcare outcomes after graduating from F&M. Many of our graduates go on to graduate school after F&M before beginning their careers as leaders in the field.
Graduate School
The individualized learning and hands-on experience F&M provides gives them a competitive advantage when it comes time to apply to the nation’s top programs, including:
- Nursing
- Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing
- NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing
- University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing
- Vanderbilt University School of Nursing
- Physical Therapy
- Drexel University
- Emory School of Medicine
- Thomas Jefferson University
- University of the Sciences in Philadelphia
- Physician Assistant
- Arcadia University
- Duke University School of Medicine
- Penn State College of Medicine
- Rutgers School of Health Professions
- Public Health
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
- Temple University College of Public Health
- University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health
- Yale School of Public Health
Career Paths
Many F&M alumni have become leaders in healthcare. They hold positions such as:
- Registered Nurse
- Physical Therapist
- Pharmacologist
- Physician Assistant
- Genetic Counselor
- Nurse Practitioner
- Midwife
- Community Health Educator
- Practice Manager
- Health Specialist
- Clinical Director
Related Fields of Study
Biology
The biological sciences expand and advance frontiers of knowledge about all forms of life. From molecules to ecosystems, from oceans to deserts, from the distant past to present day, biology gives you insights into other species, ourselves, and our world.
Health Humanities (Certificate)
Health humanities is a growing field at the intersection of humanistic scholarship and health professions. This certificate blends rich perspectives from several academic fields to explore questions of health (including mental health and public health), illness, medicine, and disability.
Public Health
Do you want to explore the fascinating connections between science and government? Study public health at F&M and challenge assumptions and structures as you develop a deep moral intelligence surrounding public health around the globe.
Beyond Career Services
Health Professions Advising is offered through F&M’s Office of Student and Post-Graduate Development (OSPGD). Pronounced “os-puh-god,” OSPGD prepares F&M students and graduates for success in every aspect of life beyond college.
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