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Preparation for Healthcare Careers

Pre-Health Professions

Pre-health students should contact the Pre-Health Professions Program (PHP) at John Carroll University for more information and for assistance in planning their educational programs and applications to health professions programs. JCU supports, assists, and advises students pursuing a wide range of health and wellness professions, such as medicine, dentistry, chiropractic, podiatry, veterinary, physician assistant/associate, nursing, pharmacy, genetic counseling, physical therapy, occupational therapy, certified anesthesiologist assistant, public health, and optometry. Shadowing, career exploration, clinical experiences, and community service are all important components of a health professions program application.

Many health professions programs require coursework in biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, genetics, biochemistry, statistics, calculus, and psychology to prepare for these highly competitive programs. Academic and experiential requirements for health professions programs and the standardized tests required for application can vary substantially and change on a regular basis, so students must check the details of specific programs and schools before submitting applications.

For additional details, please see the information below and the Preparation for Graduate and Professional Study section of this Bulletin.

Early Acceptance Programs/Dual Enrollment Programs

Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) and John Carroll University have an Early Acceptance Program (EAP) Agreement whereby up to 25 seats are reserved each year for John Carroll students to enter LECOM’s medical, dental, podiatry, and/or pharmacy programs. High school seniors, current JCU freshmen, and current JCU sophomores are eligible for this program. See the JCU website or the Pre-Health Professions Program for current application requirements and further details.

Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine (OU-HCOM) and John Carroll University have an Early Acceptance Program Agreement whereby up to twelve seats per year are reserved for John Carroll students to enter OU-HCOM’s osteopathic medical school at any of OU-HCOM's campuses (Cleveland, Dublin, and Athens). Established Ohio residents who are incoming JCU freshmen and meet admission requirements may apply for the program. See the JCU website or Pre-Health Professions Program for current application requirements and further details.

Gannon University and John Carroll University have an Early Assurance Program Agreement whereby up to three seats per year are reserved for John Carroll students to enter Gannon’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program in Erie, PA. Current JCU juniors who meet the admission requirements may apply for a nomination to the program through Pre-Health Professions. See the JCU website or Pre-Health Professions Program for further details.

Duquesne University’s Nasuti College of Osteopathic Medicine and John Carroll University have an Early Assurance Program Agreement whereby up to five JCU freshmen will be admitted to the DO program annually. Students must apply through the Pre-Health Professions Program during their first semester at JCU.

The University at Buffalo and John Carroll University have partnered to offer a pathway for students to complete their bachelor’s degree in chemistry at JCU followed by completing the doctor of pharmacy program at UB. A minimum of two seats are provided annually. Students must consult the Pre-Health Professions Program in advance to prepare for the application process to occur during the fall semester of their junior year. Students with advanced standing may be able to complete the bachelor’s degree in chemistry in three years and start the PharmD program in the fourth year.

Palmer College of Chiropractic (PCC) and John Carroll University have an Early Assurance Program Agreement whereby students majoring in exercise science in the allied health track can complete three years at John Carroll and start in PCC’s Doctor of Chiropractic program in the fourth year. The fourth year counts as the final year toward the undergraduate degree at JCU and first year toward the doctor of chiropractic degree at PCC. Successful completion of this fourth year is required to receive the bachelor of exercise science degree at John Carroll. Interested students must work with the Pre-Health Professions program to pursue this pathway.

Pre-Health Professions Pathways

Students can pursue a variety of pathways depending on their specific area of interest. For students who are unsure, the Pre-Health Professions program offers support through advising, the Healthcare Career Foundations minor, courses, exposure to different health professions, mentorship, and health professions events.  Some common pre-health pathways include certified anesthesiologist assistant, chiropractic, dentistry, medical laboratory science, medicine (allopathic and osteopathic), pharmacy, physical therapy, physician assistant/associate, podiatry, public health, occupational therapy, optometry, and veterinary. JCU offers an undergraduate minor in program for students in any major interested in healthcare professions.

Students should familiarize themselves with the general admission requirements of the health profession they aspire to enter in addition to those specific to the schools of their choice. The Pre-Health Professions team (prehealth@jcu.edu) is strongly recommended for individual advising early in the journey at JCU. In addition, the Pre-Health Professions program holds meetings each semester to provide information for each class level. Faculty advisors are also available to act in an educational and advising capacity. Students are encouraged to utilize these resources and to engage with the Pre-Health Professions program regularly for up-to-date information.

A number of careers are available in health and wellness. Students are encouraged to explore different fields. Most of these occupations require a baccalaureate degree with additional education at the graduate level. Information and advising are available from Pre-Health Professions.

The Health Professions Advisory Committee (HPAC) through Pre-Health Professions is the University mechanism that provides letters of recommendation to health professional schools that require or prefer recommendation letters from a committee rather than individual faculty members. The committee’s letters are based on academic performance, committee interviews, and factors such as integrity, industry, maturity, commitment to social responsibility, and judgment. The committee also supplies feedback to students regarding their preparedness for applying to a health professions program, personal statement, and interview skills.

Current admission practices of health professional schools indicate student qualifications considerably higher than the minimum C average are required for matriculation. Therefore, normally a letter of evaluation will be written to these schools only for applicants who have attained a minimum grade-point average of 3.0 overall and 3.0 in science courses (biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics).

John Carroll also offers a Pre-Medical Post-Baccalaureate Program (https://www.jcu.edu/academics/graduate-programs/pre-medical-post-baccalaureate-program) designed for students who want to fulfill the requirements for admission to medical school, dental school, physician assistant/associate, certified anesthesiologist assistant, and other health professional programs. This program is appropriate for students 1) who possess a bachelor’s degree in a non-science discipline and wish to pursue a health professions career; 2) who majored in the sciences but struggled with the coursework as a traditional undergraduate; or 3) who have not been enrolled in courses in these disciplines for over five years. Post-baccalaureate students receive full Pre-Health Professions support including the HPAC process.