Transylvania University students are getting a first-hand look into future health care careers this week through a variety of events, from a mentoring lunch with a doctor and dentist yesterday (pictured above) to a tour of a local refugee clinic on Friday.
Pre-Health Week continues today with a Health Professions Fair in the Campus Center Pioneer rooms from 4:30-6 p.m. Transylvania students will meet with representatives from medical and dental schools and programs including physical therapy, physician assistant, athletic training, pharmacy and public health. They also staffed an info table on bone marrow donation Monday, and tomorrow they’ll join a discussion on mental health at 12:30 p.m. in the Campus Center Room 118.
Pre-Health Adviser Robin Prichard, said this week is a chance for Transylvania students to connect with the health care community and find out more on pursuing their own paths in health care fields. This kind of networking as undergraduates can pay off down the line. “Many of them need volunteer hours and shadowing experience to apply to medical and graduate programs,” Prichard said.
The university has a large number of pre-health students. President Brien Lewis said, “Transy has a long tradition of educating and preparing people for successful and meaningful careers in health care — approximately 90% of the students we recommend to health profession schools are accepted, compared with a national acceptance rate of about 50%.”
Transylvania and Appalachian Regional Healthcare recently announced a scholarship program for students from Appalachia, giving them a new incentive to study at the university and return to their home region to work as health care practitioners and administrators. The partnership also will offer them mentorships, internships and summer jobs. By participating in the program, students will work for ARH for at least three years after graduating from Transylvania or a professional or grad school.
Prospective and current students are encouraged to apply for the program by Dec. 1.