Health Professions Program

This page should be helpful for anyone considering a career in the health professions. Visitors to this site not from Fairfield University may wish to check our program overview first.

Program Overview

The Health Professions Committee

The program is supervised by the Health Professions Committee; an interdisciplinary group of faculty members which includes science as well as social science and humanities faculty members. The committee serves to advise students interested in the health professions, sponsors special programs and internships, help with mock interviews and essay writing, and write letters of evaluation for professional school candidates. The chairperson of the committee is available to offer advice to students at each step of the application processes including course selection, registration for the pre-professional exams, revising personal essays, or preparing for the admissions interview.

All students interested in medicine or careers in the health sciences are strongly encouraged to contact the chair of the Health Proffessions Committee as early as possible. The chair is Dr. Geoffrey Church, Ph.D. He can be reached by phone at (203) 254-4000 ext. 2485 or by e-mail at gchurch@mail.fairfield.edu.

Requirements

Although many pre-health science students select a major in Biology, or Chemistry, it is possible to take all the courses needed for admission to most professional schools while majoring in any of Fairfield's many majors. Some medical and dental schools may actually prefer non-science majors as it demonstrates a well-rounded individual.

In general, the health professions concentration requires the following courses:

1 year of laboratory biology
1 year of physics
1 year of inorganic chemistry
1 year of calculus
1 year of organic chemistry

and at least one semester of English (though 2 are recommended).

If you wish to apply to medical, dental, veterinary, or optometry school, or a Ph.D. program, you must also complete the appropriate pre-professional admissions tests such as the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT), Dental College Admissions Test (DAT), Optometry Admissions test (OAT), or Graduate Record Exam (GRE). These tests are generally taken at the end of the junior year; therefore all preparatory courses must be completed by that time. Plan ahead!

Course of Study

Freshman Year

Introduce yourself to Dr. Church and pick up a copy of the Health Professions Handbook. Dr. Church will sit down with you and discuss your plans or thoughts about a career in the health professions. You will then be asked to fill out an enrollment form. This imparts no obligation and should be filled out even if medicine is not your finial objective.

Due to the number of required courses your schedule is tight. In the freshman year you should register for General biology (BI170-171), General Chemistry (CH 11 and 12), and Applied Calculus (MA 121-122) or other college mathematics depending on your level of achievement in high school.

Sophomore Year

You should be earning good grades in all your classes, especially the science classes. This year register for Organic Chemistry (CH 211-212) and Physics (PS 83-84).

If you are finished with your required courses consider taking your pre-professional exams this summer!

The best time for students to gain valuable experience withing the health care setting is usually during the summer before the junior year. Make sure that you investigate various options for clinical exposure or research during the sophomore year so that you know what you will be doing for the summer.

Junior Year

This year you may take any of the above mentioned courses which may have escaped you in the first two years. It is strongly recommended that you take at least one English course by this time. The MCAT has a verbal section and a written section. Scientific thinkers often do poorly on these sections. Therefore it is wise to balance your skills by taking humanities courses which will force you to do critical reading and lots of essay writing. Philosophy, Religion, English and History are good examples.

Most students take their pre-professional admissions exams at the end of their junior year. Since these exams test your understanding of basic Biology, Chemistry, Math and Physics it is imperative that you have completed your required courses by this time. The MCAT is given several times throughout the year, but it is recommended that you take it in late spring/early summer so that your application can be complete by June.

Remember to request a letter of recommendation from the Health Science Committee. The deadline for applications is April 1. The committee reviews each candidate's academic performance and votes whether or not to recommend that student. Students whose performance is not up to Fairfield's standards may be rejected or deferred. If this happens you may support your application with three letters from individual professors in lieu of a committee letter.

Summer Between Junior and Senior Years

This is a busy summer. Now is the best time to fill out applications. This is more complicated than it sounds (will take you hours!) so allow plenty of time. Many medical schools have rolling admissions so it is to your advantage to get your applications in as soon as possible.

Students who were not ready in the spring or who did poorly on the spring exam may elect to take the MCAT in the summer.

Senior Year

Your applications should be in and you will be watching the mail. You may have secondaries to fill out but your real concern should be interviews. See Dr. Church for lists of commonly asked interview questions to help you prepare.

If you have finished all core and major requirements you may take whatever classes interest you. This is a great opportunity to learn something special! Remember to keep your GPA up! As a rule, medical students should have at least a 3.5. If your GPA drops below 3.0 it is unlikely that you will be accepted into any American medical schools. Other programs have somewhat lower standards, but whatever your aspirations you should strive to stay above 3.0.

Options Other than Medicine or Dentistry

There are a number of very good careers in the health sciences which are often over looked by young people enthralled by the glamorous portrayal of doctors on TV. Almost all areas of healthcare are booming and offer good prospects for employment. This type of work is generally challenging, profitable, and brings a good deal of personal satisfaction. If the competitive world of allopathic medicine and dentistry is not for you consider the options listed below. See Dr. Church for more information.