Academic and Preprofessional Advisor located in Julian Hall 210F
309 438 8252 cmschmid@ilstu.edu
Member of the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions
Welcome to the Department of biological Sciences. We offer a challenging yet highly rewarding field of study. I m proud of the expert and dynamic faculty who are dedicated to helping you achieve success at Illinois State. We offer three majors - Biological Sciences, Biological Sciences Secondary Education, and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology. If you are interested in becoming a health professional you need to visit me a become a part of our preprofessional program.
The faculty and staff at Illinois State are dedicated to assisting you in your academic journey. During your first year you will see an advisor in University College who is trained to help you plan a schedule suitable to your goals and levels of accomplishment. After you have completed 24 hours of college credit you will visit the departmental advisor each semester. The departmental advisors are myself and Ms. Jenny Grogg who specializes in Secondary Education advisement and supervision.
If you are interested in becoming a physician, osteopath, podiatrist, dentist, optometrist, veterinarian, pharmacist, physician assistant, physical therapist, or occupational therapist you should visit me for a consultation. I will assess your background, talents, motivation, and goals. Together we will use this information to develop a plan that will prepare you to make a successful application to professional schools.
In my office you will find information and materials on each of the health professions, study guides, foreign schools, medical school financing, minority opportunities, catalogs, and much more. You have access to all this information and may check out videos and books.
The Professional Program includes Preprofessional Advisement, a health careers course, a mentorship program, MCAT practice test, undergraduate research, undergraduate teaching assistantships, weekly professional seminars, field trips to the Medical Admissions Seminar,
We offer a course for preprofessional students that provides them with an overview of health careers through lectures, professional guest speakers, and personal observation with local professionals. Students learn how to prepare a successful application to professional schools and research current topics in health care. Students gain valuable insights through meeting practitioners in the professions.
BSC 298.01 PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE: CAREERS FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
1hr credit/no credit
Instructor: Dr. Carol Morton Schmidt, Julian Hall 221, 438-8252
Course Description: Information and experience in careers in doctoral programs of medicine, dentistry, osteopathy, podiatry, optometry, pharmacy, and veterinary medicine. Other health-related careers might be considered. Classroom and off-campus experience.
Course Goals: To provide students with (1) an overview of professional health careers through lectures, guest speakers, and personal observation; (2) information about entrance procedures to professional schools through lectures, discussion, and guest speakers; and (3) information about current topics in health care through lecture, speakers, and assignments.
Optional Textbook: Medical Professions Admission Guide – Strategy for Success, Edited by Brice W. Corder, Fifth Edition, ISBN 0-911899-12-X.
Course Content:
1. Guest Speakers. Guest health professionals will speak about their qualifications, practices, and other related experiences. A discussion will follow each speaker.
2. Lecture material by course instructor: Introduction to advisor's materials, Professional schools in Illinois, Making an application
3. All-day trip to the MEDICAL SCHOOL ADMISSIONS SEMINAR in the fall for those interested in applying to medical school. This trip is required if you are a pre-medical student. This experience will substitute for three hours of the required observation time. Transportation will be provided.
Assignments: Personal Statement, Nine hours observation in field of choice, Short talk and paper on observation experience, Paper on health care
We are proud to offer a one-credit course that has proved highly successful for our pre-professional program at Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. With the invaluable help of a local emergency medicine physician, who is an alumna of our university, we have been able to pair students with local health professionals in fields of medicine, dentistry, optometry, and veterinary medicine. In this semester-long experience the students have been observing, first-hand, the demands, responsibilities, and satisfaction of working in various healthcare professions. The students spend 30 or more hours accompanying their mentors in their offices, surgery, rounds, etc. Some have even gone with their mentors to professional meetings. At the semi-weekly class meetings the students discuss topics ranging from moral and ethical issues to how professionals cope with demands on their time.
We have been delighted to see the students voluntarily spend many more hours than required with their mentors. The students are thrilled to have this one-on-one experience and the mentors have expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to stay involved with young people. The mentorship program is open to all students in the university, however students must satisfy academic requirements and submit an application that includes a personal statement.
Mailing Address
Campus Box 4120
Dept. of Biological Sciences
Illinois State University
Normal IL 61790-4120
Electronic mail address
cmschmid@ilstu.edu
Web address
http://www.bio.ilstu.edu
Office phone
309 438-8252
Office address
Julian Hall 210F