Transitioning academic identity: The move from Pre-Med to Pre-Health
On my tours of Muhlenberg, I was instantly attracted to the descriptions of the pre-medical program. However, we are so much more than just a pre-med institution, and the reputation of the college as a pre-med college should be embraced as more of a pre-health institution.
Just as the composition of the medical field has changed, so have the aspirations of our student body. While pre-med dreams are very strong and very much so alive, so are countless other medical field aspirations. Such occupations include dentists, physician assistants, physical therapists, occupational therapists, clinical psychologists, podiatrists, doctors of osteopathic medicine and more. These allied health fields are well-represented by our student body and their prospective occupations. Instead of a have a pre-med office with solely pre-med advising, we have a Health Professions office with an advisor who aids and cultivates any health profession endeavor. The Cooperative Programs offered by Muhlenberg highlight our strength not just as a pre-med school, but a pre-health school. In addition to our Temple Med Program, our college offers a UPenn Dental Program, a SUNY-Optometry Med Program and a Jefferson program which includes both occupational and physical therapy.
Aligning with the interests of the students, the Pre-Health Association holds a pivotal role on campus. The club works to increase the exposure of students to all health care fields, in addition to bringing in post-graduate students to present clinical cases for students to practice. The club also is involved with mock interview events and an extensive community service network in the Allentown area, where students coordinate times and car-pool to volunteer on a weekly basis.
On Nov. 14, the Pre-Health Association hosted its 2nd Annual Medical Professional Round Robin Night. This event featured pediatricians, a podiatrist, an orthodontist, an optometrist, a clinical psychologist, nurse practitioner and a registered nurse from among the Lehigh Valley. In a casual setting, students were given the opportunity to engage in open discussions with these health-care professionals and ask questions and learn about their personal perspectives and experiences in the field. Common questions included asking the health care professional about their route to their current occupation, and influential undergraduate experiences they experienced which guided them to where they are now. While pre-health students know the valuing of shadowing and clinical experiences, it is events like these that are also valuable resources to learn from a variety of health-care providers in a non-clinical setting. I was fortunate enough to discuss medicine with two pediatricians and a third year resident, which was a remarkably uplifting experience for the middle of the junior year end of semester madness.
Muhlenberg is so much more than a pre-medical institution. While I touch basis on just two areas of academia our school offers—our strong pre-health programs—even so, we should not be solely defined by one strong set of academic programs that our college offers. We should not be limited to just a pre-med school, a pre-health school, a theatre school, or a finance school and I think one of the greatest challenges but joys of Muhlenberg is to completely embrace every strong academic program our school offers. Muhlenberg has a multitude of academic identifies because of its strong academic breadth.