Preparing for Health Professions

by Emily Ryan ('05)

The number of Wooster students pursuing health-related fields is on the rise. On average, roughly ten seniors apply to medical school each year, a few to dental school, and one or two to veterinary school.

"Every year I see more students applying to graduate programs in nursing, physical therapy, and pharmacy. This means that more of the students who come to Wooster with an interest in health-related careers are finding alternative paths," says Tom Tierney (philosophy and political science), chair of Wooster’s Pre-Health Advisory Committee. The College offers the Pre-Health Program to encourage a variety of classes as a firm foundation in medical study and practice.

"In order for the health care professions to deal effectively with the scientific, technological, economic, social, and ethical problems that they currently face, those entering the professions must be trained broadly in the liberal arts," states the program’s mission. Wooster doesn’t offer a pre-medicine major or minor, nor is there a required curriculum. Nine professors and two staff members serve as advisers on course choices and post-graduate opportunities. They recommend, at minimum, two semesters of biology, four of chemistry, two of physics, and one of math. Wooster also offers classes such as Biomedical Ethics, taught by Tierney. The course exposes students to the types of situations that medical professionals face and assists in preparing students for professional school interviews.

Recently, Wooster students have tested the medical field during summer internships through the Lilly Project for the Exploration of Vocation. Last year, for example, a student traveled to Oaxaca, Mexico, where she performed basic medical procedures such as reading pulses and blood pressures at city hospitals. Another student went to Trinidad and Guyana to check blood sugar, assist with examinations, and take patients to the pharmacy. Her work with skin diseases and their treatments helped her explore her interest in a dermatology career. (To learn more, see http://www.wooster.edu/lilly/Med_ Intern.html.

Wooster also offers a dual-degree option: Students complete three years at Wooster, then go on to a school such as Case Western Reserve University. Students interested in pursuing nursing often have more success with this route. Medical schools tend to accept students after they earn a B.A..