Moravian College Biology

http://home.moravian.edu/public/bio/curriculum/healthprofs.html

Home News & info Faculty Students Student Research Curriculum

Health Professions

Many students come to Moravian interested in pursuing a career in medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, or another of the health professions. Not surprisingly, many of these aspiring health care professionals choose to major in Biology — Moravian does not offer majors in "pre-medicine" or "pre-dentistry." To find out more about how a Moravian degree will mesh with these career paths, follow the preceding links or scroll down this page.

Premedical Program

caduceus

Premed Mission Statement

To prepare students for the academic rigor of medical school while cultivating humanism, professionalism and ethical behavior.

Our Science Curriculum

Premed students, regardless of their major, are encouraged to complete an introductory sequence of Biology courses (Zoology and Botany), Vertebrate Physiology, Biochemistry, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry and Physics. In the Division of Natural Sciences, our students have an opportunity to major in

As part of our liberal arts curriculum, Introduction to Psychology, Ethics and Statistics are also strongly recommended.

Our Premed Students

Students who express an interest in medicine primarily major in one of the sciences mentioned above. During their junior and occasionally sophomore year, students are expected to engage in independent research. Moravian College provides this type of opportunity in its SOAR (Student Opportunities in Academic Research) and Honors programs. Many of our students have presented their research at regional (e.g. Pennsylvania Academy of Science ), national (e.g. National Council on Undergraduate Research ) and international conferences (e.g. Society for Neuroscience ).

Premed students are also expected to engage in community service and service learning activities either on an individual basis or through opportunities offered by our Premed club. Since Moravian College students have a strong history of sharing their time and talents with the surrounding community, our premed students are encouraged to participate in these activities early in their academic careers. Arrangements are currently underway to develop a long lasting relationship between our premed students and the American Cancer Society of the Lehigh Valley. We are hopeful that our students will gain experience in patient services, educational programming, fundraising and advocacy.

        

Early Assurance Agreement with Temple Medical School and St. Luke's Hospital, Bethlehem

Moravian College participates in Temple Medical School's Early Assurance Program, a unique program which offers Moravian graduates (once they are accepted to Temple) to complete their first and second years at Temple Medical School, then complete all of their required third- and fourth-year clerkships at St. Luke's Hospital here in Bethlehem.  Students are expected to earn an overall and science grade point average of 3.5 at the end of their junior year.  An MCAT score of 30 is required, with no section less than a 9.  

For more information please contact Cecilia Fox or visit her website.

Moravian College Premed Club

This new club on campus is designed to inform those students interested in pursuing a career in medicine. The following themes represent some of the topics that will be discussed in our club during the academic year:

St. Luke's Premed Observer Program

shadow student at St. Luke's

Moravian College premed students have an opportunity to be involved in this field study experience directed by St. Luke's Hospital. Students must be of junior or senior year standing with an overall GPA of at least a 3.2 to participate in the program. Students shadow physicians in OB/GYN, Internal Medicine and Surgery. They learn how the various departments contribute to the overall hospital system. Our students develop essential skills of professionalism as well as an appreciation for the demands of pursuing a career in the medical field.

Moravian College Premed Committee

Recently, the Premed Committee has been reorganized to include the current premed advisor, Dr. Cecilia M. Fox and professors in the following specialties: chemistry (Dr. Dan Libby), psychology (Dr. Art Lyons), ethics (Dr. Carol Moeller) and nursing (Dr. Maryellen Dye). Dr. Florence Kimball, Dean of Moravian's Comenius Center is a former Assistant Dean for Special Academic Programs and a fifteen year member of the Admissions Committee for the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey is also a member of this team. The committee is responsible for interviewing those students applying to medical school, evaluating their application credentials and creating a composite letter of recommendation for their medical school application.

Our Premed Graduates

In recent years, our students have been admitted to the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Penn State University College of Medicine, MCP/Hahnemann School of Medicine/Drexel University School of Medicine and Jefferson Medical College.

Today, many of our students are physicians nationwide as well as in the Lehigh Valley. Recent graduates specializing in fields ranging from pediatrics to cardiology are employed at St. Luke's Hospital (Bethlehem, PA), Lehigh Valley Hospital, Geisinger Medical Center (Danville, PA), Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Tennessee), Arlington Hospital (Virginia), Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health Systems and the United States Army.

For more information please contact Cecilia Fox or visit her website.

Pre-Dental Program

As is true for premeds, pre-dental majors at Moravian don't technically exist: there is no official major in "pre-dentistry" here. That said, we have had a number of students go on to excellent dental schools after majoring in Biology at Moravian College. The quality of preparation we offer all our students is so high that the College has entered into a cooperative agreement with the Temple University's Kornberg School of Dentistry, in which interested students may transfer after 3 years at Moravian (if they meet the necessary requirements) and earn their Doctor of Dental Medicine (D.M.D.) degree after 4 years at Temple.

While at Moravian, a student must complete 24 courses, including Chemistry 113-114 and 211-212; Biology 112 and three other biology courses; and Physics 109-110 or 111-112.

Temple University School of Dentistry reserves a minimum of four seats each year for Moravian students. Automatic invitation for an interview will be granted by Temple University School of Dentistry to Moravian candidates who:

  1. have earned a 3.2 QPA in the basic sciences, their major science, and overall courses.
  2. have taken the Dental Admission Test (DAT) no later than October of their junior year.
  3. have submitted applications through the American Association of Dental Schools Application Service (AADSAS) in the fall of their junior year.
  4. have received a favorable letter of recommendation from Moravian's Health Professions Advisory Committee.
  5. have met the application deadline of January 1.

Final decision on acceptance to Temple University's Kornberg School of Dentistry will be solely at the discretion of the School of Dentistry.

If you have questions about the pre-dental program, please contact the program advisor, Prof. James Mitchell.

The Allied Health Programs with Thomas Jefferson University

The student interested in this cooperative program usually spends two to four years in preparative study, then applies for admission to the Jefferson College of Health Professions, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, for further clinical and didactic training. The university is responsible for the decision to admit the student. If accepted, the student matriculates at Thomas Jefferson University and earns a degree from there upon completion of the program in the field of his or her choice. Moravian College does not award specific degrees in allied health areas.

Students who select these preparatory programs follow a course of study that not only prepares them for entry into a program at Thomas Jefferson University but also provides the option of pursuing a bachelor's degree if they should decide to complete their education at Moravian.

Though Moravian College cannot guarantee a student's admission into the allied health programs at Thomas Jefferson University, its agreement with that institution enhances the opportunities of Moravian students to obtain bachelor's degree in allied health fields, as well as master's degrees in physical therapy or occupational therapy.

Moravian currently has a cooperative arrangement with Thomas Jefferson University in the following allied health areas:

Students should contact allied health preparatory programs advisor, Prof. James Mitchell, for specific advice on each of the above programs.

Pre-Veterinary majors

A number of biology majors at Moravian College have been interested in pursuing careers in veterinary medicine. The fact that all have gotten in to programs is a testament both to their determination and talents and to the strengths of the biology program, as it is more difficult to get accepted into veterinary school than into medical school!

Recent departmental graduates are continuing their veterinary studies at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Tennessee, and Ross University.

Students interested in entering veterinary medicine should consult with Prof. James Mitchell, the pre-veterinary advisor.