Pre-Health Studies

Professional schools rarely prescribe a particular undergraduate major, so you should select one that best suits your personal interests. However, while satisfying Lipscomb University graduation requirements, you will also need to plan your class schedules so they include the courses that are required by the professional school of your choice.

Once you have decided upon the area of health care you want to pursue, you must position yourself to be admitted to an appropriate professional school. What must you do to be accepted into a professional school?

• Learn which courses are prerequisites for admission to the professional schools you've selected. The Health Professions Advisory Office has lists of required courses for many area schools. Program requirements can also be found on institutional websites or by contacting schools directly.
• Study and do well in your courses: learn the material rather than just memorizing for exam performances. This will also help you prepare for professional school admissions tests.
• Get to know your professors well. Go to their offices, introduce yourself, tell them what your interests are and why. When you apply for professional school, you will need recommendations from some of your professors. And they need to know enough about you to write a letter that accurately portrays you as a student and potential health care professional.  
• Observe, volunteer, and/or work in your chosen area. Professional schools expect you to have a reasonable knowledge of what is expected of those who serve in a particular profession. There are several ways to obtain this experience. One way is to contact your personal physician, dentist, pharmacist, or other health care professionals and ask them if you can work or volunteer in their offices. If this is not possible, they may allow you to observe or shadow them at work for a week or so. Area hospitals all have offices where you can apply for volunteer work. 
• Involve yourself in activities other than academics and studying. Social, athletic, and service activities can all be valuable experiences. Lipscomb offers many opportunities to participate in social clubs, intramural sports, service projects, theater, international studies abroad, multicultural activities, student government, and so on. A student who is capable of maintaining a good grade point average while being actively involved outside the classroom is a student who will be able to handle the rigors of a professional school program.
• Be a servant. Professional schools do not want to see your application state that you want “to help people” but then see no evidence to support that statement. Become involved in your community through volunteering in programs such as blood drives, health screenings, Special Olympics, neighborhood clean-ups, etc.
• Keep your personal record clean. Obey rules and laws. Professional schools demand high ethical standards and most now perform background checks on applicants.

Course requirements may vary from one health professional program to another. Below is a list of courses commonly required by most medical and dental schools:

• General biology, eight credit hours with labs
• General chemistry, eight credit hours with labs
• Organic chemistry, eight credit hours with labs
• Physics, our to six credit hours with lab(s)
• Math – most programs require up through Calculus I
• English, six credit hours

The Health Professions Advising Office is always available to assist you in determining the courses needed to satisfy professional school course requirements. We also encourage you to view the website for the professional programs you are interested in attending to locate the specific additional courses and any additional requirements of the program.

We are proud to have the following members on our Health Professions Advisory Committee. Please contact any of the following faculty members for assistance with questions about pre-health studies:

James Arnett, Chair
Professor of Biology

Dale Alden
Assistant Professor of Psychology

Kent Clinger
Professor of Chemistry and Academic Chair of Chemistry Department

Elisabeth Conway
Assistant Professor of Biology

Matt Hearn
Professor of English

Ruth Henry
Professor of Kinesiology

John Lewis
Assistant Professor of Biology

Jon Lowrance
Professor of Biology

Amy Nelson
Associate Professor of Mathematics

Linda Phipps
Professor of Chemistry

Shanna Ray
Professor of Psychology and Academic Chair of Psychology Department

Amanda Williams
Assistant Professor of Biology