Information found in this online edition of the 2008-09 catalog is unofficial and for informational purposes only. By authority of the dean of the College, some factual corrections to the printed version may appear here. The official document of record is the printed edition of the 2008-09 Catalog. For more information, please contact the Office of the Registrar.
Pre-Medicine/Pre-Health
Graduates of Lewis & Clark have entered the fields of medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, osteopathic medicine, medical technology, physical therapy, and nursing after postgraduate study at professional schools such as those at Oregon Health & Science University, the University of Washington, Vanderbilt University, Harvard University, and Wake Forest University. Advisors at Lewis & Clark guide students in selection of appropriate courses through individual counseling, group information sessions, literature, and the Internet. Other resources available include internships and a network of Lewis & Clark alumni working in the health professions who are willing to assist students in making career decisions.
The sequential nature of many courses required for admission to health professional schools makes careful planning and early consultation with the student's academic advisor and the chief health professions advisors--Bethe Scalettar in the physics department and Adonica De Vault in the Center for Career and Community Engagement--essential. Gary Reiness of the biology department is also knowledgeable and a helpful resource for pre-health students. Students who plan to pursue postgraduate work in the health professions must take basic courses in biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, and psychology at Lewis & Clark. Many health professions schools require advanced coursework in some of these areas as well. They also strongly encourage students to develop a breadth of academic and cocurricular interests. Although many pre-med/prehealth students major in biology, biochemistry, or chemistry, students can enter graduate programs in the health professions with any undergraduate major, provided they have taken the courses required by the professional schools.