Advisory Services for Students Interested in Preparing for the Health Professions
The Health Professions Advisory Committee (HPAC) exists to help students become competitive applicants for postgraduate programs that lead to careers in the health professions. Unlike academic advisors assigned to all undergraduate students based upon major, this advisory group is supplemental and only available to those who seek its services. However, because professional schools usually expect applicants to include a letter from such advisory bodies (when available at their universities), it is in the best interest of pre-health students to become well-acquainted with the HPAC and all that it has to offer. Students seeking a letter of evaluation must first request an HPAC interview; those sessions are only scheduled after the interviewee has completed an information packet available in our office.
The HPAC serves those interested in healthcare professions other than nursing: medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, veterinary medicine, physician assistant, physical therapy, optometry, and other healthcare fields. To receive regular pertinent announcements and to be eligible for scholarships and other services, students are invited to register with the HPAC each fall by visiting the Health Professions Advisory Office located in Ward Hall, Room 330.
Pre-health students should contact the office of the HPAC for the following services and functions:
1. Updated information about requirements for entering professional programs, including prerequisite courses, admissions tests, other requirements (e.g. exposure to the health care field, service activities, leadership activities) & the application process.
2. Advice about choosing a health care profession and alternative healthcare career options when appropriate.
3. Workshops or other venues for preparing the personal statement/goals essay required for professional school applications.
4. A for-credit course on “preparing to apply” (e.g., interviewing, MCAT/DAT, etc.).
5. Books and other resources in the conference room/study area (Ward 327) to help students prepare for admission to professional programs.
6. Student support groups, such as the MED Club, that invite informative speakers to campus and advertise campus visits by professional school recruiters.
7. Information about opportunities for clinical exposure and opportunities for service activities.
8. Online information, updated annually, about health care careers and application requirements.
9. Committee interviews and committee letters of evaluation for the schools that request them.
10. Information about how to apply/qualify for HPAC scholarships, Ward Society scholarships, & Ward Research Fellowships.
11. Information about prep courses for various professional entrance examinations (MCAT, DAT, etc.).
Since the majority of Lipscomb’s pre-health students are pursuing medical school, the following is a recent sampling of medical schools that have accepted our students:
- Drexel University
- East Tennessee State University (Quillen College of Medicine)
- Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine
- Indiana University
- Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine
- Lincoln Memorial University (DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine)
- Medical College of South Carolina
- Meharry College of Medicine
- St. Louis University
- Tufts University
- Tulane University
- University of Alabama-Birmingham
- University of Arkansas
- University of Central Florida
- University of Florida
- University of Kentucky
- University of Louisville
- University of South Alabama
- University of Tennessee Health Science Center
- Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
- Wake Forest University
To learn more about preparing for any of the pre-health care professions, contact the HPAC office in Ward 330, or at 615-966-7147.
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