Key Contacts for Information about Health-related Careers:

Over 1000 Dartmouth undergraduates each year have some potential interest in a career in the health professions. These careers include: Physician,Veterinary Medicine, Ph.D. programs in public health and health care administration, Dentistry, Nursing, and Physician Assistant. Support of this group of students (and of recent DC alumni) is complex and involves information about curricular options, extracurricular activities and the actual process of application to a graduate program. The Health Professions Advisory Committee (HPAC) is an important resource of information and support and is composed of faculty, administrators and students from across the Dartmouth campus representing all these interests.

In planning your Dartmouth curriculum and in seeking opportunities that would allow you test your interest in the health professions, your attention is drawn to the following key points of contact and/or information:

1. Nathan Smith Society A student-led campus organization of >1100 students with diverse interests in health careers. THE central source of information, events and advice/counsel about health careers. Lee Witters, MD is the faculty advisor. BEING ON THE NSS BLITZ LIST IS ALL THAT IS REQUIRED TO JOIN! IF YOU HAVE NOT SIGNED UP AT THE ORIENTATION MEETING, BLITZ 'nss" to join!!

2. Nathan Smith Society web site (You are here!) This web site contains many valuable links to all the health career professions and it contains information on curricular options, extracurricular experiences and details of the applications process. An equally valuable web site is the NSS Blackboard site, where one can get rapid access to lots of information, ask questions and find lots of links. You must self-enroll on the NSS Blackboard site .

3. Dartmouth College Career Services THE place to go for comprehensive advice about career planning and how to develop your Dartmouth curricular and extracurricular experiences. Meet personally with advisors, read important documents on developing your resume, key D-plan information, establishing a credentials file, finding internships and much more!

4. Tucker Foundation The Tucker Foundation challenges students to explore places in the heart, spirit and mind that will help them serve as humane, thoughtful and just leaders. Explore opportunities locally, nationally and internationally for volunteer service, community service leave term internships, and fellowships. A MUST stop for the pre-health career student.

5. Academic Skills Center Improve your active learning strategies by attending Learning at Dartmouth (fall term for first-year students only), making an appointment with Carl Thum, visiting the ASC website, or taking the Reading Improvement Course (through Miniversity). Increase your science learning by signing up for a tutor or joining a study group for the science courses you take.

6. Information for Dartmouth Pre-Veterinary Students

• A Career Services web page on veterinary medicine
• Dartmouth Pre-Veterinary Medical Society

7. Information for Dartmouth Pre-Dental Students

• A Career Services web page on dental medicine
• NSS Pre-dental information

Five (5)important facts/tips to remember at the beginning:

1. Meet with a Health Professions Advisor at Dartmouth.  There is NO ONE WAY to prepare for a career in the health professions – each individual career path is different.   A combination of experiences both in and out of the classroom will offer you the opportunity to decide whether you want to proceed in the direction of a health career and the timetable over which you want to do that.  To “chart” your own individual experience, both to test your interest in the health professions and to prepare you, based on classroom and extracurricular experiences, to be a successful applicant, it is imperative that you interact with a knowledgeable health career advisor both at the beginning of and THROUGHOUT your time at Dartmouth.  You will receive “advice” from many as you think about these things (parents, peers, departmental faculty, deans, administrators, popular press); while there is value in each of these opinions, ALWAYS confirm that advice with an experienced advisor before making any substantive decisions.
2. Dartmouth does not have a standard "prehealth" curriculum. Successful medical school and health program applicants have majored in every discipline available at Dartmouth. Choose courses and a major that you enjoy and want to explore. Specific courses are, however, required for admission. The demonstration of scientific aptitude through good performance in these courses is essential for successful application. Work with a knowledgeable advisor to schedule and pace your science courses according to a plan that best suits your educational program. Planning your potential path(s) through Dartmouth EARLY with an experienced advisor is paramount!
3. Consider applying to medical school or health programs after graduation.  Most of our students (80%) delay some required courses until senior year (or even later) and plan to enter medical/vet/dental school after a year or more of work or graduate study. Many also choose to complete course work after graduation in post-baccalaureate programs or to use post-graduate course work to strengthen their classroom credentials (and preparedness of MCAT/DAT/GRE exams). Follow your own interests and do not sacrifice courses, off-campus programs, or extracurricular activities in order to rush through the pre-health requirements. At the very least, discuss this option EARLY with one of the pre-health advisors to see which time frame(s) might be best for you. There is NO ONE WAY to be successful in your eventual application. Get the very best education Dartmouth College has to offer!
4. Get to know your professors as you proceed through the Dartmouth curriculum. The faculty is a rich resource of advice and guidance for the pre-health student. In addition, the eventual application process for medical school and other health-related professional schools relies heavily on letters of recommendation from faculty and others. Take the time to develop relationships with your faculty, so that at the time you need letters, they can write one that reflects how well they know you as a person and not just by your performance in a class. Utilize office hours and other contacts to get to know the faculty better. A good rule of thumb: Get to know ONE faculty member well each term.
5. Plan to participate in extra-curricular activities involving medicine and health careers and in service to others throughout your time at Dartmouth. Participation in extracurricular activities is perhaps the best way to let you decide whether a career in the health-related professions is something that you will aim for. These activities range from volunteering in a clinic or hospital, doing research in a biomedical laboratory, observing patient care close up while shadowing a physician, dentist or vet (note that for the latter, schools will require a certain number of hours of work with a vet), working in groups that assist patients or their families or doing a internship in a health- or human-service related field. The demonstration of your care and concern for others is also extremely important. Plan to do these things throughout your time at Dartmouth, not just for a term or two. Such participation is looked on very favorably at the time of application, for they demonstrate your interest in science, medicine, others and society.

• Plan your four-year schedule of required science courses listed in the next section.
• Begin by taking courses in many academic disciplines while you are an undergraduate. A good physician should have an aptitude for science, an ability to solve complex problems, and an interest in other human beings.
• Talk to a Health Professions Advisor as how you might "test" whether serving others is satisfying and whether working in such an environment is enjoyable.
• Explore your natural talents, analyze what activities give you satisfaction & pleasure, and identify the kind of lifestyle you want.
• Use leave terms to gain career-related experience. Volunteer in a community activity, hospital, mental health facility, or nursing home.
• Many challenging health professions do not require an M.D. degree: physical therapist, healthcare administrator, medical science librarian, nutritionist, medical social worker, physicians assistant, environmentalist, epidemiologist.
• Join the Nathan Smith Society in order to stay regularly advised about pre-health activities; visit the NSS web site periodically
• Visit the Career Services Resource Center and read about the variety of health careers, the work responsibilities and educational requirements for these and many other careers. Use the Dartmouth College Alumni/ae Career Advisory Network to talk with people working in health fields. Attend career programs, offered each term, which may help to focus and direct you.
• Attend a 'First-Time User' session in Career Services. (monitor the Career Services blitz bulletin for schedule)
• Seek out one of the Health Career Advisors, who can provide general information about the variety of health careers, undergraduate requirements, options for scheduling required courses, application procedures, preparation for health careers & relevant extracurricular activities and experiences. All staff in Career Services can assist you with your general career plans. Get acquainted early.
• Seek out the many members of the Dartmouth community for a rich and diverse group of professionals who can advise you (deans, advisors, faculty, medical students, other undergraduates)

In considering your course schedule and D-plan with an advisor, you SHOULD develop more than one plan for the completion of this curriculum, based on the pace & difficulty of courses and possible routes toward different application dates.

If your plan is to delay entrance to medical/dental/vet schools with a "gap year" or more between graduation and matriculation, this creates much more curricular flexibility and you can work out several paths in consultation with an advisor. If you are pointing towards entering medical/dental/vet school immediately following graduation, the following courses should be completed before spring term of junior year, the optimum time to take the required MCAT admission test.

The courses listed below are considered an adequate minimum basic preparation by most schools, although a few schools have additional course requirements. To obtain information about specific schools, refer to the current edition of the Medical School Admission Requirements, Admission Requirements of U.S. and Canadian Dental Schools; and Veterinary Medical School Requirements for required and recommended courses; these editions are available in the Career Services office. You can also consult our summary document that reviews several features of specific medical schools, including course requirements. This has been updated for 2009-2010 admissions, so you should double-check the specific requirements of schools you are interested in, as they can change without notice.

These are minimum science requirements. If your grades in these courses are good, and your schedule is filled with courses necessary for your major, you need not go beyond these unless an individual school of your choice has additional prerequisites. Check individual school requirements in the current edition of the Medical School Admission Requirements or the dental or veterinary medical school directories. For students preparing for veterinary medical schools, prerequisite courses differ from school to school, but most include courses in microbiology and biochemistry. Learn the requirements of the schools of your choice during your first year. For information and scheduling advice, consult a Health Careers Advisor.

If your academic record does not clearly establish competency in laboratory sciences, you should include more upper-level science courses. Additional biology and/or chemistry courses are recommended by most schools and required by a few schools.

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ORIENTATION WEEK

• Attend the Orientation meeting for students interested in the Health Professions.
• Share your career goals with your faculty adviser when she or he helps you with your 2009 fall term course schedule.
• Participate in a counseling session with the pre-health advisors offered in Parkhurst during orientation.
• Join the Nathan Smith Society (blitz NSS if you did not sign the sheet at the orientation meeting)
• Self-enroll on the NSS Blackboard site for quick access to lots of documents and links. There is also a discussion board where you can seek peer advice about courses, shadowing, internships and other topics.

HINTS FOR YOUR FIRST YEAR

1. Choose courses that challenge and interest you and activities that will let you grow and develop your skills.

2. If you do not have Math 3 credit, strongly consider enrolling in the fall term in either Math 3 (or Math 1 (by invitation). Math 3 is a pre-requisite course for beginning the chemistry sequence with Chem 5. Hesitate about enrolling in upper-level math courses (Math 8 or greater) in your first term, unless you have strong skills in math.

3. Students who are planning to major in Biology should take Biology 11 in their first year, though not necessarily in the fall. Taking Bio 11 in the first year permits advancement to the laboratory-based foundation courses (Bio 12 to 16). If you are concerned about your actual interests in the health professions or the strength of your biology background or scientific acumen in general, consider taking Biology 2 as your first Dartmouth science course.

4. Students with a strong chemistry background : consider taking the proficiency test for Chem 10. Chemistry 10 (offered only to First Year students and only in the Fall) carries credit for both Chem 5 and Chem 6, fulfilling this two term requirement, when successfully completed. Note that enrollment is limited.

5. Students not eligible for Chem 10, but who have AP credit for Math 3, should consider taking Chem 5. Taking Chem 5 in the first OR second term (either okay) has its advantages, if you want to avoid doubling-up lab courses in future terms. If you plan to enter medical school the fall after graduation and you don't take Chem 5 & 6 in your first year, your D-plan will be tricky, particularly if you want to be away in the fall term of your junior year, plan on applying to med school at the end of that year and still have general chem and organic chem to complete in your junior year. Best to discuss this latter option with an advisor.

However, if you feel your preparation for a college-level Chemistry course may not be adequate, consult with an advisor before signing up for Chem 5 in your freshman fall. If you choose to enroll in Chemistry 5, you may be placed into Chemistry 2, based on your pre-matriculation mathematics and science record. Chemistry 2 is a course for students who intend to take Chemistry 5-6, but who need additional preparation for quantitative and analytical aspects of general chemistry. Satisfactory completion of Chemistry 2 is a pre-requisite for enrolling in Chemistry 5.

6. Students who feel they have incomplete science backgrounds and/or want to gain confidence in the science curriculum at Dartmouth before embarking on required courses should consider taking Biology 2 ('Human Biology') in the fall of the first year. This course also offers a broad view of the science of health and medicine for those students who are uncertain or uncommitted to this career direction.

7. Students considering a major in engineering should consult Professor Erland Schulson and read this document on combining the major with fulfilling the pre-medical requirements.

8. Involve yourself with campus activities that refresh you intellectually and physically.

9. Meet with your professors to discuss courses, plans, and interests.

10. Consider the Women in Science Program ; volunteer through the Tucker Foundation and/or the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.

11. Plan your "D-plan" and the pre-health courses you expect to take for the next three OR four years. Prepare to change, modify, and adapt your schedule as needs and interests change. Reconsider your 4-year schedule of courses. Think about possible majors and try-out courses. Do you want to take an off-campus program of study? Are you taking science courses at a pace which you can handle successfully?

13. Begin to search for a summer job; gain health-related experiences. Know the resources available at Dartmouth and in the Career Services Center.

 

1. Challenge your decision to prepare for a health career. Address your doubts. Talk with a Health Career Advisor or faculty. Assess your talents, interests, and values. Talk with alumni/ae in the health professions.

2. Familiarize yourself with professions in the health field. Secure leave-term or part-time health or human-service related experiences (both science/lab research and patient-care experiences). Read about the health field; its problems, future, and roles.

3.Choose your major by end of your 5^th term (admissions committees have no preference for any specific major, provided you have a strong academic record in the required science courses).

4. Arrange a supervised research experience as part of your academic program (e.g. Independent Study, Honors Thesis Research, Presidential Scholar Program, Volunteer or Paid Internships). Get involved with community service projects through the Tucker Foundation or in human service projects at the DHMC.

5. Attend Nathan Smith and Career Services -sponsored health career programs.

 

SUMMER 2011

1. Plan your academic schedule for the next two (2) years.

2. Attend informational sessions hosted by Career Services and Nathan Smith Society.

3. Consult admission directories and catalogs for individual school course requirements.

4. Monitor the NSS web site and Blackboard for information about med school application.

THROUGHOUT JUNIOR YEAR

If you are planning on application to med/vet/dental school at the end of this year (so that you can matriculate the fall after your graduation:

1. Attend an Application Procedures informational meeting. Become aware of the deadlines for arranging letters, submitting applications, taking the MCAT/DAT/GRE exam, etc.

2. Obtain the "Medical School Application Procedures" handouts in Career Services (or NSS Blackboard site). Alternatively, check out procedures of veterinary or dental school application with a pre-health advisor.

3. Consult admission directories and catalogs for individual schools' course requirements.

4. Open a LEO (Letters of Evaluation) file in Career Services.

5. Plan whom you will ask to write letters of recommendation and request them.

6. Prepare/study for and take the admissions test for medical school (MCAT) or dental school (DAT) if you are planning to begin applying in June of your junior year. For vet school, you will have to take the GRE exam. If you plan to delay your application, discuss the best strategy with one of the pre-health advisors.

 

SUMMER 2012

1. File medical/dental/vet school applications by late June, if your plans are to apply this year.

2. Ensure LEO file is complete and ready to be mailed to prospective schools.

3. Prepare for medical school interviews between August and April (scheduled by invitation).

THROUGHOUT SENIOR YEAR

If you are planning on application to med/vet/dental school at the end of this year or in a subsequent year after graduation:

1. Attend an Application Procedures informational meeting. Become aware of the deadlines for arranging letters, submitting applications, taking the MCAT/DAT/GRE exam, etc.

2. Obtain the "Medical School Application Procedures" handouts in Career Services (or NSS Blackboard site). Alternatively, check out procedures of veterinary or dental school application with a pre-health advisor.

3. Consult admission directories and catalogs for individual schools' course requirements.

4. Open a LEO (Letters of Evaluation) file in Career Services.

5. Plan whom you will ask to write letters of recommendation and request them.

6. Prepare/study for and take the admissions test for medical school (MCAT) or dental school (DAT) if you are planning to begin applying in June right after graduation.

7. If you plan to delay your application until a later year, discuss the best strategy with one of the pre-health advisors.

COURSE SCHEDULING

CHOOSING A MAJOR

1. Dartmouth students entering medical school represent over 20 different majors.

2. Select a major you enjoy and one you want to pursue in depth.

3. Many students select biology, psychology/brain sciences or chemistry, although this gives you no great advantage towards admission.

4. Regardless of major, your success in the required basic science courses will be assessed.

5. GET TO KNOW YOUR PROFESSORS : speak to your professors about your courses and future plans. Your professors will become a key to strong letters of recommendation.

LEAVE-TERM OPPORTUNITIES

1. Take health-related internships to test your commitment and interest in the profession.

2. Find internship possibilities in Career Services, the NSS Web site and the Tucker Foundation. Begin researching for internship possibilities at least two terms before your off-term.

3.Dartmouth funding for unpaid internships may be available (information found in Career Services)

 

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES -- Volunteer your time and interest to social services or health-related service. A trip to the Tucker Foundation is very worthwhile to identify possibilities.

SOME CAMPUS RESOURCES and GENERAL ADVICE

1. Deans Office, 6 Parkhurst: To discuss how to succeed in courses and at Dartmouth.

2. Professors, Advisers, Health Career Advisors: To help to decide best course of action.

3. Academic Skills, Collis Center 3^rd Floor: To assist all students in becoming more efficient and effective independent learners. Improve your study skills, find a tutor, gain test taking strategies.

4. Undergraduate Research Programs: Contact Dean of Faculty Office in Wentworth Hall

5. Women in Science Program: Contact Kathy Weaver, Director, for more information (office is in the Parker House).

6. Nathan Smith Society .THE resource for all pre-med information

WEB SITES OF INTEREST

LOCAL:

The Nathan Smith Society

Career Services at Dartmouth College

Academic Skills Center

The Tucker Foundation

The C. Everett Koop Institute at Dartmouth

The Dartmouth Medical School

 

NATIONAL WEB SITES FOR HEALTH PROFESSION CAREERS

Association of American Medical Colleges

American Dental Education Association

American Physical Therapy Association

Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges

American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine

American Chiropractic Association

Association of Schools of Public Health

American Association of Colleges of Nursing

American Academy of Physician Assistants

American Association of Colleges of Optometry

American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy

American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine

American Occupational Therapy Association

National Society of Genetic Counselors

Association of University Programs in Health Administration

Naturopathic Medicine

PUBLICATIONS in the CAREER SERVICES RESOURCE CENTER

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS, Association of American Medical Colleges

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS, American Dental Education Association

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS, Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS, Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry

DIRECTORY OF MEDICAL & DENTAL SCHOOLS WORLDWIDE

ANNUAL GUIDE TO GRADUATE NURSING EDUCATION, National League for Nursing

GUIDE to NORTH AMERICAN GRADUATE and POST GRADUATE TRAINING PROGRAMS

in HUMAN GENETICS, American Society of Human Genetics

PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT PROGRAMS DIRECTORY, Association of Physician Assistant Programs

OPPORTUNITIES FOR MINORITY STUDENTS IN UNITED STATES DENTAL SCHOOLS

OPPORTUNITIES IN GERONTOLOGY AND AGING SERVICES CAREERS

PLANNING YOUR CAREER IN ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

CAREERS IN MEDICINE

JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR HEALTH AND SCIENCE MAJORS