This document provides information for students preparing for a career in health care. It discusses the growth of health care careers and fastest growing occupations. The Career Center and Health Professions Coordinator at Gustavus Adolphus College help students explore options and prepare applications for medical, dental, nursing and other health programs. Students are advised to maintain strong grades, complete required coursework, and gain relevant experience through internships, volunteering, and shadowing professionals to become a competitive applicant for medical and other health programs.

1. 1
PREPARING FOR A
HEALTH CAREER AT
GUSTAVUS
Jeff Stocco
Career Center Director and
Health Professions Coordinator

2. 2
OVERVIEW OF HEALTH
CAREERS
 Health Services largest industry in 2003 with 12.9
million jobs
 10 out of 20 occupations projected to grow the
fastest are in health services
 16% of all new wage and salary jobs from 2003-
2012 will be in health services

3. 3
WHY THE GROWTH?
 Aging Population
 Advances in Medical Technology
 Shift from in-patient to out-patient
care

4. 4
FASTEST GROWING
OCCUPATIONS
Psychologists
Social Workers
Physicians/Surgeons
Occupational Therapists
Physical Therapists
Clinical Lab Technologists
Medical Records Technician
Many Assistant-type Positions

5. 5
Q: How many students do “Health
Careers” at Gustavus?
A: over 200 each year say pre-health
 Fall 2007 enrollment in
medical programs:
 14 medical school
 4 pharmacy
 5 dentistry
 2 optometry
 2 chiropractic
 2 veterinary medicine
 1 podiatric medicine
 3 graduate nursing
 3 physical therapy
 2 speech pathology
 2 physician assistant
 2 exercise physiology
 1 public health
 1 audiology

6. 6
Fall 2008 Admits, medical schools
 Medicine
 Loyola Stritch
 U of MN
 U of MN – Duluth
 Wake Forest
 Medical College of Wisconsin (’08 & ’04)
 Harvard (’07)
 Colorado (’00)
 Chicago (’06)
 Mayo Medical School (’07)

7. 7
Fall ’08 Admits
Other health professions
 Physical Therapy
 Mayo School of Health Sciences
 U of MN
 Occupational Therapy
 U of Iowa
 College of St. Catherine
 Optometry
 Ohio State
 Dentistry
 U of MN
 Pharmacy
 U of MN
 U of Colorado
 Nursing (BSN)
 MN State, Moorhead
 Chiropractic
 Northwestern Health Sciences

8. 8
Fall ’08, Health-related specialties
 Kinesiology/Exercise Physiology
 Kansas State
 UW – LaCrosse
 Montana State
 Sports Medicine
 U of Colorado
 Fitness Management
 MN State, Mankato
 Biomedical Engineering
 U of MN
 Epidemiology
 London School of Hygiene
 Biomedical Science
 Colorado State

9. 9
Q: What health-related bachelors
degrees are offered at Gustavus?
A: Athletic Training
Health Fitness
Nursing
Health Education

10. 10
Q: For pre-health professions, how
would Gustavus help?
 A: Extremely strong science departments
and many research opportunities.
 Liberal arts degree in any area as long as
prerequisites are completed…
Possible Majors:
Biology, Chemistry, Psychology, English,
Biochemistry, Art, Music, Health Education, Health & Exercise
Science

11. 11
Q: Where does the Career Center fit
in?
 A1 Career Planning – assist students with the
process of identifying careers
 A2 Internships
 January Term shadowing experiences
 Semester internships
 A3 Health Professions advising
 Information on health careers
 Specific advising for medicine, dentistry, and
pharmacy
 General advising for all other health professions
 Health Professions Guide for 13 professions
 http://gustavus.edu/careercenter/health/

12. 12
CAREER CENTER
 Resources
-books, journals, pamphlets
-general career information
 Staff
-classes/fairs related to careers
-1:1 career counseling
-job search & graduate school application
assistance
 Web site
-Internships
-G-Net - Mentors
-Health Professions Guide

13. 13
Health Professions Coordinator
 -career counseling on various health
professions - explore talents and interests
-advice on prerequisites, training and
program selection
-assistance with application &
recommendation process
-advice on MCAT preparation
-health professions events (on and off campus)
-relationships with professional schools
-work with pre-health club on campus
-prospective student presentations/meetings

14. 14
Q: Two advisors – how does that
work?
 Faculty advisor
 Academic dept.
 Register for classes
 Work on graduation
requirements
 Work on major
requirements
 Pre-health advisor
 Career Center
 Requirements for med
school
 Med school app.
process
 MCAT
 Personal statement
 AMCAS
 Secondary app.
 Strengthen app.
 Practice interviews

15. 15
PROGRAM ADVISORS
 John Mattson Pre-Occupational Therapy
Pre-Physical Therapy
 Bruce Van Duser Health Fitness
 Margaret Bloch-Qazi Pre-Veterinary
 Paula Swiggum Nursing & Pre-Public Health
 Jeanne Herman Health Education
 John Mattson Athletic Training
 Jeff Stocco Pre-Medical, Pre-Dent,
& Pre-Pharmacy
 Career Center Other Health Professions

16. 16
STUDENT PREPARATION
 Study hard and take required courses
 Maintain good grades (in college, 2 As for
every B)
 Career Exploration & Volunteer Work
 Shadowing of health professionals
 A pattern of commitment to service
 “the distance traveled”
 Internships in college

17. 17
Q:WHAT ARE THE REQUIRED
COLLEGE COURSES?
A: Biology 2 courses
Chemistry 4 courses
Physics 2 courses
Calculus 1-2 courses
Social Sciences 2 courses
Literature 3 courses
Humanities 2 courses

18. 18
Q: How do parents help?
 Encourage exploration into health professions
 websites, career resource books, mentoring and shadowing
opportunities
 Summer jobs…leadership skills & experience in health
care and human service settings
 Your student may change directions – be open,
encouraging, and flexible

19. 19
Who Gets Admitted to Medical
School?
 Cumulative GPA of 3.7 or better, especially in science courses
 MCAT composite score of 30 or better with a grade of P or Q on
the writing portion of the test
 Well-rounded background including community service
 “a pattern of service to others”
 Demonstrating that you’ve moved from
 “I like the IDEA of being a physician” to
 “I want to BE a physician”
 Experience, including internships and Career Explorations
 Personal statement, interviews, letters of recommendation

20. 20
QUESTIONS?
Good luck with your decisions!