The success of the University’s Pre-Medical Program has been outstanding. Since 1980, the University has placed an average of over 50 students per year into American schools of medicine, dentistry, optometry, podiatry and veterinary medicine, often in the most prestigious schools in the country.

The University of Scranton offers its pre-medical students unique opportunities in anticipation of changes in health-care delivery for the twenty-first century. They include a special exposure to primary-care medicine (the practice of family physicians, general internists, and general pediatricians), predicted to be the area of greatest growth in medicine. Students have an opportunity to participate in an undergraduate primary-care internship through the Scranton-Temple Residency Program. In this program, students accompany physicians at Scranton Mercy and Moses Taylor Hospitals to gain exposure to clinical settings in primary-care medicine. Students gain transcript recognition for participation in this internship as well as a clear view of the profession they seek to enter.

Moreover, the University of Scranton is one of only six undergraduate institutions participating in the Jefferson Medical College Physician Shortage Area Program (PSAP). This program is designed to recruit and educate medical students who intend to enter family medicine and practice in physician-shortage areas in Pennsylvania. Finally, University of Scranton students are encouraged to participate in programs at the Center for Primary Care at the Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey.

The Pre-Medical Program is supported by a network of hundreds of medical alumni and by an active Medical Alumni Council. The Medical Alumni Council has compiled a directory of physicians who have agreed to serve as resources for information or internship opportunities for University of Scranton students. It also sponsors on-campus programs to which undergraduate students are invited.

Pre-Medical Undergraduate Curricula. Many undergraduate students who intend to apply to health-professions schools choose Biology or Biochemistry as their major. However, students may choose any major, provided that they meet the requirements for entrance to medical, dental, or other health-professions school.

For students at the University of Scranton, the minimum requirements arelisted below. All courses must be taken with their corresponding labs.

BIOL 141-142: General Biology
CHEM 112-113: General and Analytic Chemistry
CHEM 232-233: Organic Chemistry
PHYS 120-121: General Physics

Virtually all medical schools require a year of English literature, and many require a semester or a year of mathematics, including calculus.

Many medical schools recommend that students demonstrate a wide range of interests in their choice both of courses and of extra-curricular activities. Volunteer work is strongly recommended by the admissions committees of most health-professions schools, as is course work in ethics, particularly in Phil 212, Medical Ethics and/or T/RS 330, Biomedical Ethics.

Some medical and dental schools also have specific prerequisites for English, mathematics, or other courses, as listed in Medical School Admission Requirements, or Admission Requirements of U.S. and Canadian Dental Schools.

The Association of American Medical Colleges recommends that undergraduate students planning to apply to medical school acquire a strong background in the natural sciences, so students should consider courses in biology, chemistry, physics and mathematics beyond the minimum requirements. Students should develop strong oral and written communication skills, and they should complete rigorous courses in the humanities and social sciences. Honors courses and programs, independent study, and/or undergraduate research are also encouraged.

The University offers all applicants to health-professions schools the option of a formal applicant evaluation by the Health Professions Evaluation Committee (HPEC). This committee consists of sixteen faculty and administrators representing a wide range of academic disciplines. It is directed by Dr. Mary Engel, Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and Director of Medical School Placement, who also advises the health-professions organization.

Applicants are evaluated on academic record, volunteer and community service activities, extracurricular activities, and demonstrated motivation toward their chosen careers. Students submit documents and request faculty letters of evaluation and are interviewed by two members of HPEC. Through the HPEC interview, students have an opportunity to develop their interviewing skills and receive feedback on their application materials and interviewing performance. The HPEC evaluation package sent to health professions schools is a comprehensive narrative which describes in depth an applicant’s qualifications for advanced study and a career in the health professions.

The University also makes available to students a wide variety of resources in the Health Professions Lending Library; information about materials which students may borrow is available from the Director of Medical School Placement.

Information and copies of publications are also available in the office of Dr. Mary Engel, Director of Medical School Placement, St. Thomas 312. In addition, the student-supported Health Professions Organization web site provides extensive helpful information for interested students.