Health Professions

Preparing for a career helping others

Is helping others a central motivation in your life? Do you have a strong desire and the enthusiasm to make a difference in your chosen profession? Do you have what it takes to become a physician, dentist, physical therapist, occupational therapist, physician assistant, nurse or veterinarian? Qualities like maturity, stability, integrity, responsibility and trustworthiness are necessary to succeed in these highly competitive fields. Elon’s health professions program is designed to help students design their path, provide advice and prepare them for entry into a variety of health professions.

My Elon Experiences and beyond helped me paint my unique story, which I am convinced is the only reason I got interviews at some of the top medical schools in the country. Schools really want to find people who will bring something different to the table.

Rachel Perron ’11, B.S. in Exercise Science, NIH Fellow, Harvard Medical School

The availability of Elon professors and advisors on a daily basis for extra tutoring and support helped me to create and tailor a four-year plan to best prepare me for applying to professional school.

Alyssa Flashburg ’13, B.A. in Psychology, University of Maryland School of Dentistry

Becoming a health care professional is a long and hard road with lots of studying, but the work pays off. Elon University not only prepared me for graduate school but also helped me find and begin my future career path.

Sarah Hoopes ’13, B.S. in Biology, Wake Forest University medical School

Flexible curriculum

Health professions students may choose any major while completing prerequisites for desired health care fields. Health professions advisors along with academic advisors are here for assistance in planning a course of study which includes the Elon Experiences we value. You should anticipate taking introductory biology, chemistry and/or physics courses your first semester. Pre-requisite courses by career can be found here.

A supportive faculty

At Elon, classes are small and the low student-faculty ratio means that students enjoy significant individual attention and build close working relationships with their professors. Faculty are closely involved with student research as well as their own research. They provide close supervision and advice for students interested in health professions.

Elon’s Health Professions Committee is designed to guide and advise students who have an interest in pursuing a variety of health professions. The committee is composed of faculty members with a background and expertise in advising students interested in health profession careers.

Real-world experience

Health professions students have many opportunities to gain valuable experience through service learning, internships and study abroad. Contacts are made on campus, locally or through hometown health professionals. Health professions students are encouraged to pursue research projects and present their findings at institutional, regional and national conferences, such as Elon’s annual Spring Undergraduate Research Forum (SURF) and the National Conference on Undergraduate Research.

Students can join the Lincoln Health Professions Society (named for a pathologist benefactor) in order to meet other students interested in a variety of health professions. Society members benefit from visits by representatives of various health profession programs; trips to local medical schools; practice Medical College Admissions Tests (MCAT) and assistance preparing for other professional tests; current information about application processes; assistance with internships; and enhancement of interview and essay writing skills.

First-rate facilities

As a health professions student, you will spend plenty of time in the $18 million McMichael Science Center, which provides access to a stunning array of the latest technologies and equipment, including a fully equipped cadaver lab and physiology labs. In addition, you will have access to books, brochures, catalogs, video and CD-ROM resources about health professions programs to help you choose your next step.

Honors and scholarships

Students interested in the health professions program may qualify for the Elon College Fellows or Honors Fellows programs. These programs offer scholarship support, study abroad grants, special courses and other unique benefits. Visit the Elon Fellows programs Website for more information.

In addition, two Jane M. Baird Scholarships of $3,000 are awarded to incoming freshmen to the health professions program, and the Lincoln and Edmonds scholarships are awarded to continuing students.

Advanced study

Admission to programs in the health professions is highly competitive. Success involves being committed to your career goals and:

  • a high GPA (overall and in science and math)
  • a high score on the appropriate professional exam (e.g., MCAT, DAT, OAT, GRE)
  • faculty recommendations
  • outside activities that demonstrate altruism and knowledge of the health profession (campus, work and internship experiences)
  • an interview with the professional school admissions personnel
  • excellent communication skills.