OVERVIEW OF THE HEALTH PROFESSIONS Amy B. Leddy, Health Professions Advisor 213 Whitmore Lab Penn State

Outline Academic Preparation Allopathic/Osteopathic Medicine Dental Medicine Application Timeline Optometry School Pharmacy School PA Programs QUESTIONS

Is a Career in Health for You?? 1. Do You Like to Deal with People? 2. Are You Comfortable with and like the Sciences? 3. Are You Prepared to Keep Up with Developments in Your Field? 4. Are You Comfortable in a Health Care Setting? 5. Are You a Team Player? 6. What Lifestyle /Work Ethic Do You Envision?

What should I major In???? For any of the Health Professions, one can major in ANY major provided that one: Did well in science courses (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Organic and Math) Met prerequisite courses (for medical and dental schools; typically one year of math and English plus one year of Biology with lab, General Chemistry with lab, Physics with Lab and Organic Chemistry with lab.) Did well on entrance exams such as MCAT/DAT/OAT Had appropriate health care experiences Obtained letters of recommendation/committee letter Strong extracurricular activities

Allopathic (MD) vs Osteopathic Medicine (DO) Both are 4 year medical schools with almost identical curriculums. Both have residency programs Both require the same prerequisites and MCAT exam. MD is more competitive; 3.65 GPA and 130 schools DOs a bit less competitive; 3.45 GPA and 30 schools. DOs are trained in manipulation techniques. Both MDs and DOs can specialize. DOs are now in every area of medicine, where in the past they mostly were in primary care areas.

Allopathic Medicine (M.D.) Nationally in 2008, 42,231 applied to MD programs, 18,036 matriculants. Average GPA of Matriculants Average MCAT Verbal Reasoning 9.9, Physical Sciences 10.3, Biological Sciences Medical schools Students apply through centralized application called AAMCAS located at

Osteopathic Medicine (D.O) Nationally for the 2008 starting class, 12,875 applied 4,575 matriculated. Average overall GPA of matriculants 3.47 Average science GPA of matriculants 3.35 Average MCAT scores; Verbal Reasoning 8.59, Physical Sciences 8.40, Biological Sciences DO schools Students need a letter from a D.O. Centralized application called AACOMAS located at

Penn State Medical School Statistics About 400 students per year come to Penn State with the intent of preparing for medical school. About 200 students per year apply for MD admission. Another 70 or so apply to DO schools. About 135 student are accepted to MD schools with another or so accepted to DO schools. ALL PSU ACCEPT RATE IS 65-70% ~70-75 percent of students are from the College of Science, with the remainder mostly coming from Engineering, HHD, and Liberal Arts.

Medical Specialties Allergy and Immunology (5) Allergy and Immunology Anesthesiology (4) Anesthesiology Colon and Rectal Surgery (6) Colon and Rectal Surgery Dermatology (3-4) Dermatology Emergency Medicine (3) Emergency Medicine Family Medicine (3) Family Medicine Internal Medicine (3) Internal Medicine Medical Genetics (2-4) Medical Genetics Neurological Surgery (5-7) Neurological Surgery Neurology (4) Neurology Nuclear Medicine (3) Nuclear Medicine Obstetrics and Gynecology (4) Obstetrics and Gynecology Ophthalmology (4) Ophthalmology Orthopaedic Surgery (5) Orthopaedic Surgery Otolaryngology (5) Otolaryngology Pathology(3-4) Pathology Pediatrics (3) Pediatrics Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (4) Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Plastic Surgery (5-7) Plastic Surgery Preventive Medicine (3) Preventive Medicine Psychiatry (4) Psychiatry Radiation Oncology (5) Radiation Oncology Radiology (5) Radiology Surgery (5) Surgery Thoracic Surgery (6-8) Thoracic Surgery Urology (5) Urology

Dental School Nationally in 2008, 11,100 applied with 4,770 accepted. There has been a dramatic increase in applications and competitiveness. In 2007 the average GPA was 3.48 science GPA 3.54 overall. Average DAT scores Academic 18.7, PAT 17. PSU students applying to dental schools has increased almost 30% Prerequisites include 1 year with lab of the following General Biology, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Physics (though Physics is not on the DAT) Need to check particular schools for credits required for Organic Chemistry and if Biochemistry is required Centralized application service called AADSAS located at We recommend students use our committee to get letters of recommendation.

Application Timeline Process Freshmen/Sophomore Years Begin taking prerequisite courses and do well on them. Begin getting health care/volunteer experience Involvement in extracurricular activities/research Junior Year Study for and take MCAT or DAT (Both the MCAT and DAT exams are offered electronically) Some student choose to take a review course Fill out centralized applications Get letters of recommendation for Penn State’s Committee letter- try to get them in by the end of March Send out applications in early summer and have interview with PSU’s Committee. Penn State sends packet to indicated schools through the Virtual Evaluation (VE) process.

Optometry School There are 20 schools of optometry in the US including one in Puerto Rico Many of our students go to SALUS ( the old PA College of Optometry in Philadelphia) Optometry schools generally require the same prerequisites as medical school, but include calculus, biochemistry and microbiology with lab. Each school varies somewhat with additional prerequisites so it is important to check each one. Students take the OAT exam typically in their junior year They are electronically based and taken at a Prometric Test Center. In 2005 the average GPA was The OAT is scaled on a score of Students admitted typically have above 330. Students apply through a centralized process called OptomCAS Students may use our committee letter for optometry school admission

Pharmacy School Penn State does not have a pharmacy program, however there are routes that students can choose to prepare for application to a Pharm D. program. The Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree program requires at least 2-years of specific pre-professional (undergraduate) coursework followed by 4-academic years (or 3-calendar years) of professional study. Pharmacy colleges and schools may accept students directly from high school for both the pre-pharmacy and pharmacy curriculum, or after completion of the college course prerequisites. The majority of students enter a pharmacy program with 3 or more years of college experience. College graduates who enroll in a pharmacy program must complete the full 4-academic years (or 3-calendar) years of professional study to earn the Pharm.D. degree.

Pharmacy cont Students apply either through PharmCas or individually through the school if the school does not participate in the centralized application. There are 111 accredited schools For the fall 2008 entering class, the average undergraduate GPAs of PharmCAS applicants offered admission were as follows: Science – 3.35,and Cumulative – The majority of accepted applicants completed 3 or more year of college study before enrolling in a pharmacy degree program. Accepted applicants had an average composite PCAT score of 65 percent.

Physician Assistant Programs There are currently more than 140 accredited programs. Difficult to advise for. Each school is very different and have varying requirements. Some are certificate programs. B.S. programs and M.S programs. The typical PA program is months long and requires at least two years of college and some health care experience prior to admission. The majority of students have a BA/BS degree and just under 40 months of health care experience before admission to a PA program. While all programs recognize the professional component of PA education with a document of completion for the professional credential (PA), seventy-five percent of the programs award a master's degree. [102 award master's degrees, 24 award bachelor's degrees, 4 award associate degrees, and 5 award certificates.]

PA cont Courses most likely required include chemistry, anatomy with lab, physiology with lab, and microbiology with lab…Again some schools may require additional courses. Important for students to have health care experience. Some schools require up to 1000 hours. In 2008 there were 10,550 applicants and of those 3,835 matriculated. Average GPA was 3.25 and a Science GPA of 3.11 Students typically apply through CASPA, a centralized application

Helpful advising resources Allopathic Medicine American Medical Association Assocation of American Medical Colleges Chiropractic The American Chiropractic Assocation Dentistry American Association of Dental Schools American Dental Association Disadvantaged/Minority Student Programs MEDPREP NIH Undergraduate Scholarship Program Financial Aid FAFSA FIRST (Financial Information, Resources, Services and Tools) Genetics National Society of Genetic Counselors Holistic/Naturopathic Medicine American Association of Naturopathic Physicians

Optometry The American Academy of Optometry The Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry Osteopathic Medicine American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine American Osteopathic Association Pharmacy American Assocation of Colleges of Pharmacy Physical Therapy American Physical Therapy Association Physician Assistants American Academy of Physician Assistants Association of Physician Assistant Programs Podiatric Medicine American Association of Colleges of Podiatric Medicine Public Health American Public Health Association Sports Medicine American College of Sports Medicine Veterinary Medicine Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges