Pre-health students know they need science. Anatomy, physiology and chemistry matter. So do clinical hours, shadowing and the rigorous work of preparing for professional school.
But a strong health care professional needs more than technical knowledge.
A liberal arts education provides a foundation that helps pre-health students care for the whole person, not just the human body. It builds empathy, sharpens observation and strengthens communication skills. Those skills are essential when the stakes are high and the work is deeply human and personal.
What the liberal arts add to pre-health education
Courses in theater, art and the humanities may not look like “pre-med, pre-PT, etc.” on paper, but they train skills students use every day in hospitals, clinics and other health care settings.
Theater teaches presence and communication. It helps students pay attention to tone, body language and what is not being said. Art deepens observation, hands-on skills and critical thinking. The humanities strengthen empathy and invite students to think about people in context — their stories, values and experiences.
In health care, these things matter. Providers do not treat symptoms in isolation. They meet patients who are scared, in pain or overwhelmed. They need to listen carefully, communicate clearly and respond with compassion.
Beyond memorization: Judgment, ethics and cultural awareness
Tests can measure memorization. They can reward speed and accuracy. They do not measure what makes us human. Educating to pass the GRE, the MCAT or DAT is important … but it’s not the whole story.
While science teaches what can happen in the physical body and how to heal and protect it, the liberal arts help students think about what should happen in the room with the patient at the center, not the symptoms.
It helps students navigate complex, uncertain issues and new technologies, and builds cultural awareness and compassion in an ever-changing world. It also allows them to do this when working with patients from different backgrounds and life experiences, from the coal miner in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky to the single mother living in Lexington. It’s about discovering what makes us the same and what makes us different, and then using that to understand and improve the lives of the people they will work with.
A liberal arts education develops more than just test-taking skills. It helps students navigate complex, uncertain issues. It also builds cultural awareness and compassion — essential skills when working with patients from different backgrounds and life experiences.
Science teaches what can happen in the body. The liberal arts help students think about what should happen in the room.
A lesson from the emergency room
I saw this play out in a conversation with one of my seniors in seminar.
After class, one of my strongest pre-PA students told me about an emergency room shift he worked the day before. He met a fourth-year medical student, and they started talking. The medical student walked him through patient cases and explained his process for evaluating and diagnosing patients.
As they shared their backgrounds, they realized something unexpected.
Both were from Transylvania University. Both were student-athletes. Both were in Greek life. Both majored in health and exercise science. And they shared the same adviser. (Hint … it was me.)
What stayed with me was not only the connection. It was the mentoring that happened before they knew their connection existed. The medical student was already encouraging him, teaching him and talking about perseverance. He was offering real guidance in real time.
Later, he told my student how the support and encouragement he received from professors at Transylvania helped push him to pursue medicine.
The Transylvania spirit
That interaction reflects something I see often. Transylvania prepares students to follow bold paths and to make the world better while they do it.
A liberal arts education helps shape that mindset. It builds the ability to connect with others, think through difficult questions and show up with empathy and clarity. It also supports the kind of mentoring culture that students carry forward.
That is part of what makes our graduates stand out.
The kind of preparation health care demands
Pre-health students should pursue strong science training. They should also pursue the kind of education that builds presence, judgment and genuine human connection.
A liberal arts education helps students develop those qualities. It prepares them not only for professional school, but for the responsibility of caring for people when they are at their most vulnerable.
That is the work. And that is the point.
About the author
Juanita “JJ” Wallace is an associate professor of health and exercise science at Transylvania. She teaches and advises pre-health students pursuing careers in medicine, physician assistant studies, rehabilitation therapy (PT, OT, ATC) and other health professions.