The success of the University’s Pre-Health Professions Program has been outstanding. Since 1980, the University has placed an average of more than 40 students per year into schools of medicine, dentistry, optometry, podiatry and veterinary medicine, often in the most prestigious schools in the country. Over the last 20+ years, the acceptance rate of University of Scranton applicants to medical, dental and other health professions schools has been nearly 80%. Our acceptance rates are consistently higher than the national acceptance rates. The University of Scranton offers its pre-medical students unique opportunities in anticipation of changes in healthcare delivery for the 21st century. They include a special exposure to primary-care medicine (the practice of family physicians, general internists, and general pediatricians), predicted to be the area of greatest growth in medicine. The University of Scranton is one of only seven undergraduate institutions participating in the Physician Shortage Area Program (PSAP) at Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University. This program is designed to recruit and educate medical students who intend to enter family medicine and practice in physician-shortage areas in Pennsylvania. Finally, University of Scranton students are encouraged to participate in programs at the Center for Primary Care at the Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey.
The Pre-Health Program is supported by a supportive network of alumni from a variety of health professions and by an active Medical Alumni Council. The Medical Alumni Council sponsors on-campus programs to which undergraduate students are invited
Pre-Health Undergraduate Curricula
Many undergraduate students who intend to apply to health-professions schools choose one of Scranton’s seven life-sciences majors. However, students may choose any major, provided that they meet the prerequisite requirements for entrance to medical, dental, or other health-professions schools. For students at The University of Scranton, the minimum requirements are listed below. All first-year biology and first- and second-year chemistry courses must be taken with their corresponding labs.
BIOL 141 - (E) (FYOC, FYDT Lab only) General Biology – BIOL 142 - (E) (FYOC, FYDT Lab only) General Biology
CHEM 112-113 - (E) General and Analytical Chemistry
CHEM 112L-113L - General and Analytical Chemistry Laboratory
CHEM 232 - (E) Organic Chemistry – CHEM 233 - (E) Organic Chemistry
CHEM 232L - Organic Chemistry Laboratory – CHEM 233L - Organic Chemistry Laboratory
PHYS 120/PHYS 120L - (E) General Physics I – PHYS 121/PHYS 121L - (E) General Physics II
One semester of Biochemistry, either CHEM 350 - General Biochemistry I or CHEM 450 - Biochemistry I (lab not required)
Virtually all health professions schools require a year of English literature, and many require at least a semester of mathematics, including calculus and/or statistics. Since 2015, pre-health students have taken courses in psychology and/or sociology. Many health professions schools recommend that students demonstrate a wide range of interests in their choice both of courses and of extra-curricular activities. Volunteering and service work are strongly recommended by the admissions committees of most health-professions schools, as is course work in ethics, particularly in PHIL 212 - (P) Medical Ethics , PHIL 316 - (P) American Perspectives on Health-Care Ethics , and/or T/RS 227 - (P) Biomedical Ethics . Some medical and dental schools also have specific prerequisites for English, mathematics, or other courses, as listed in Medical School Admission Requirements, or Admission Requirements of U.S. and Canadian Dental Schools.
The Association of American Medical Colleges recommends that undergraduate students planning to apply to medical school acquire a strong background in the natural sciences, so students should consider courses in biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics beyond the minimum requirements. Students should develop strong oral and written communication skills, and they should complete rigorous courses in the humanities and social sciences. Honors courses and programs, independent study, and/or undergraduate research are also encouraged.
The University offers all applicants to health-professions schools the option of a formal evaluation by the Health Professions Evaluation Committee (HPEC), consisting of 23 faculty and administrators representing a wide range of academic disciplines. All applicants who seek to apply to doctoral-level health professions schools are evaluated on academic record, volunteer and community service activities, extracurricular activities, and demonstrated motivation toward their chosen careers. Through the HPEC interview, students have an opportunity to develop their interviewing skills and receive feedback on their application materials and interviewing performance. The HPEC evaluation package sent to health professions schools provides a comprehensive narrative that describes in depth an applicant’s qualifications for advanced study and a career in the health professions.
The University also makes available to students a wide variety of printed resources in the Health Professions Lending Library.
Additional Information
Information about the Pre-Health Professions Program is available from Dr. Patrick Orr, the Director of Pre-Medical and Pre-Health Professions Programs and from Dr. Gabriela Jakubowska, the Associate Director of Pre-Health Advising. In addition, the student-supported Health Professions Organization Web site at https://www.scranton.edu/academics/pre-med/health-professions-organization1/index-page.shtml provides extensive helpful information for interested students.
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