Pre-Health Resources

 A number of resources are available to help you succeed as a student and advance to your desired professional program. This information is not all-inclusive so if you have suggestions or feedback, please contact us.

Campus-Based Resources

• Career Center: mock interview, statement review

 
• McGoldrick Learning Commons

• Four Year Success plan: A timeline with suggested activities and achievements for students who are considering professional and graduate programs.

• Pre-Health Club: Network with other pre-health students around campus! The club hosts socials, speakers and other professional development opportunities. 

 
• Facebook: Become a fan of Seattle University Pre-Health on Facebook and get updates every day!

• Pre-Health Handbook: This is an excellent resource, developed by the former pre-health advisor, Dr. Margaret Hudson.

Web-Based Resources 

Below are a number of resources compiled by Dr. Hudson, which may be useful based on your area of interest.

General Health Professions Resources 

• The Occupational Outlook Handbook, published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, provides information on training, earnings and responsibilities for a number of industries in the United States.

• Explore Health Careers is full of information about different health careers, enrichment programs, and funding for education.

• Healthy People gives progress reports and other information about Healthy People 2010, an evaluation of the state of public health in the US, along with a set of goals and plans for improvement.

• Preparing for a professional school interview and want to know what to expect? Or have you already begun the interview process and want to share your experiences with other prospective students? The Student Doctor Network database is a great place to share this information and connect with other aspiring health care professionals. Professional schools include medical, dental, optometry, veterinary and pharmacy.
  
• The Student Doctor Network also hosts blogs where students share about their experiences in professional schools.  

• University of Washington Pre-Health Advising has excellent web-based resources for any prospective health professional.

Resources for Pre-Med Students  

• Handout summarizing pre-med requirements.
  
• The Association of American Medical Colleges site has an enormous amount of useful information making it the ideal starting point for students interested in medical school. You can also find information on the MCAT exam as well as AMCAS, the centralized application service for some medical schools.
  
• American Medical Student Association welcomes premedical students as members. 
  
• The Positive Profiles web site is sponsored by Pfizer Inc. and contains some useful resources for prospective medical students.
  
• Summer Medical Education Program is a summer enrichment program for underrepresented or disadvantaged students interested in admission to medical school. You can apply online.
  
• The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine home page is an an excellent source of information for those considering osteopathic medicine as a career. This site also hosts AACOMAS, the centralized application for osteopathic medical schools. 
  
• The Podiatric Medical Educational Network is the website for the American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine. Check out the Career Center page in particular. You can apply online to podiatric medical schools using the AACPMAS form available at this web site.
  
• The Next Generation: A Resource for Aspiring Physicians is published every two months in collaboration between Harvard undergraduates and the New England Journal of Medicine. The site aims to encourage the next generation of physicians and health-conscious citizens to develop broader perspectives on the field of medicine. 
  
• Virtual Mentor is the American Medical Association's online ethics journal. It is a great resource for analyzing and exploring ethical and professional issues in medicine.
  
• UW School of Medicine bioethics topics, which outlines a number of ethical scenarios and provides some discussion and questions for consideration. 
  
• Mom MD provides a number of resources for women in medicine.
  
• US News and World Report list of best medical schools.

Resources for Pre-Dental Students                

• Handout summarizing pre-dental requirements.

• The American Dental Association - The Dental Career Information  page has some useful information for pre-dental students. Information about the Dental Admissions Test (DAT) can be found at http://www.ada.org/prof/ed/testing/dat/index.asp. Lots of information about the process of applying to dental school can be found at the American Dental Education Association. Applications for dental school can be completed online through the American Association of Dental Schools Application Service (AADSAS) website.

• Summer Medical Education Program  is a summer enrichment program for underrepresented or disadvantaged students interested in admission to medical or dental school. You can apply online.

Resources for Other Health Professions
  

• Association of American Veterinary Colleges is the starting point for students interested in veterinary medicine. You can apply to some of the veterinary schools by using the VMCAS application available at the website.

 
• The Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry site should help you more clearly visualize a career in optometry. Links to the US schools and colleges of optometry are provided, as well as information on the Optometry Admission Test (OAT)

• The American Physical Therapy Association page has information about careers and educational programs.
  
 
• The American Academy of Forensic Sciences is a good starting point for students interested in forensics. 

Service and Applied Learning 
  

• If you are interested in volunteering at a local hospital or clinic, the best way to get involved is to contact the agency directly for instructions on how to get started. Most hospitals have a step-by-step process on how to get involved. See:
• Swedish Medical Center
• Virginia Mason Medical Center 
• Seattle Children’s Hospital 
• Harborview Medical Center  (not currently accepting volunteer applications as of October 1, 2010) 

• The Bailey-Boushay House  is a skilled nursing facility for AIDS patients in the Madison Valley area which is a affiliated with Virginia Mason and takes volunteers.
  
  
• Several of our graduates have served in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps  for one or two years before going on to medical school, and have felt it was a great opportunity to learn more about health care needs in the community as well as to express their desire to be of help to others.