Health Professions

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Program Highlights

Innovative and Unified Curriculum

Our freshman chemistry course is unusual in that it focuses on organic chemistry. Organic Chemistry Concepts I and II provides a very useful background for further study in upper level biology courses. In addition, those students in fields that require only one year of chemistry will acquire excellent preparation for professional school.

Juniata's courses focus on an interdisciplinary perspective and promote critical thinking, teamwork, and research design. This approach gives our students a valuable edge in preparing for summer research opportunities. It also encourages them to problem-solve together, an indispensable asset for their roles in tomorrow's health care teams.

At Juniata the same science courses are taken by students in every pre-health professions program, regardless of the field. This leads to rigorous preparation for everyone and fosters an enhanced sense of camaraderie among students interested in diverse health care specialties.

Lawrence Johnson Medical Scholarship at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry

The Lawrence Johnson, MD, Scholarship was established for a qualified graduate of Juniata College, Dr. Lawrence Johnson's undergraduate alma mater, who is accepted into the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. The scholarship is worth $80,000 ($20,000 awarded annually for four years) of medical school. Minimum qualifications are a science and overall GPA of 3.5 and a score of 30 or above on the MCAT. Note: only one student can receive the scholarship at any given time.

Rural Health Care Opportunities

Juniata students have exceptional opportunities to learn about rural health care through our Temple/Geisinger Early Assurance Program for medical school, internships at Geisinger Health Systems and the Altoona Family Practice Group, two courses in rural health care, and excellent working relationships with J.C. Blair Memorial Hospital in Huntingdon and the Southcentral PA AHEC (Area Health Education Center).

Health Professions Affinity Group

The Health Professions Program enjoys an excellent relationship with our alumni. These alums, some of whom are practitioners and others who are currently in professional school, are willing to have students contact them with questions, shadow their practices or visit them at their schools, and submit their personal statements for critique. Affinity group members are invited to join our students during a brunch at Homecoming weekend and at the end-of-year HOSA awards celebration.

Student-Friendly Focus

Professors have an "open door policy" and are accessible and committed to helping our students succeed. Juniata does not subscribe to a "weeding out" philosophy. On the contrary, we attempt to help all students meet their goals, even before they matriculate. In this regard, each incoming freshman interested in health professions or the sciences is screened with respect to his or her aptitude for chemistry. If there is a concern, the student registers for a one credit "Extra Help" section in chemistry for the first semester to get them on board. In addition, we cultivate and encourage a student ethos of cooperation rather than competition.

Extracurricular Activities

Students in the health professions programs are encouraged to join and support those extracurricular activities that interest them. In addition to athletics the College offers a wide range of clubs, many of which are health-related. The latter include the Emergency Services and Safety Club and HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America).

Co-curricular Transcript

As an affirmation of the importance of extracurricular activities in the development of each student as a person and as a future health care professional, the college offers a co-curricular transcript. This is an official document that describes the student's activities outside the classroom. The co-curricular transcript is appended to the letters of recommendation and makes an impressive statement about the student's involvement outside the world of academics.

Study Abroad

The International Programs Office at Juniata College offers a wide variety of excellent opportunities for students to study abroad for a semester, a year, or a summer.

As one example, many health professions students elect to spend a year at Leeds University in England where they have the opportunity to take Human Anatomy in a medical school setting. Students who study and live in unfamiliar cultures gain a wealth of experiences that can enhance their ability to provide health care in an increasingly multicultural environment.

Proactive Advising

Good advising is crucial for success in gaining admission to professional school. At Juniata we demonstrate the priority we put on advising students in the health professions by:

Admission Exam Preparation

Freshmen through junior students are given a summer reading assignment to enhance their verbal reasoning and reading comprehension scores. In the fall there is a follow-up meeting that includes the administration of the verbal portion of the admission exam for which they are preparing. In addition, all students planning to take MCAT, GRE, DAT, OAT, or PCAT exams in a given year are encouraged to participate in our non-credit in-house prep course from November to April, taught by Juniata faculty.

Training in Interview Skills and Personal Statement Writing

Students planning to apply in a given year receive interview training as a group and then one-on-one sessions with members of the Health Professions Committee. Students who need additional training are referred to the Career Services Office, where they can be videotaped and given further guidance. Juniata also holds two Personal Statement Workshops, in which students learn the "ins and outs" of writing a Personal Statement (Workshop I) and then critique each other's statements (Workshop II).

Special Programs At Affiliated Institutions

Students may attend up to a week in professional school as part of an internship or Prospective Student in Residence Program through our affiliated institutions at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, the Pennsylvania College of Optometry, Drexel University School of Physical Therapy, Widener University School of Physical Therapy, the New York Chiropractic College, Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine, and the Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine.

Excellent Placement Statistics

All this translates into success for our students (see acceptance rates from the past five years). If a student is not successful the first time we will continue to provide advising and updated letters of recommendation (free of charge) after they graduate, for as long as necessary.