Pursuing a health profession can be both exciting and challenging! Pre-health areas of interest include: chiropractic, medicine, dentistry, physical therapy, pharmacy, physician assistant, and much more! While the path can seem difficult and hard to navigate, it doesn’t have to be. Use the information on this page to help you get started with your career in healthcare!
Career Exploration
Many students come to college with the goal to become a physician, dentist, or other health professional, but don’t really know what the profession is like. Use the following links to discover the nature of the work, required education & training, salaries, and more when it comes to health professions:
- Explore Health Careers
- ONET Online: Health Science Careers Cluster
- Occupational Outlook Handbook: Healthcare
Each year we also host a series of events called Pre-Health Prep Week to help you learn more about different pre-health fields and the path to pursuing them! The next Pre-Health Prep Week series will be held in spring 2021. Visit the Pre-Health Prep Week page for more information!
Getting Experience in Healthcare
Once you have a better idea of what path you want to take within healthcare. your next step is to consider how you will get some hands-on experience within the field. As an undergraduate student, it will be difficult to:
Volunteering (local)
Shadowing/Internships (local)
- East TN Children’s Hospital (Child Life Internship Program)
- UT Medical Explorations Program
- UTHSC’s Summer Programs
- Jude Children’s Research Hospital Internships
- Summer Health Professions Education Program
- Summer Undergraduate Minority Research Program (SUMR)
Medicine
- Engage Chicago
- JACK’s Summer Scholars Program (peds/neonatal)
- Vanderbilt Summer Science Academy
- Jude Pediatric Oncology Education (POE) Program
- Covance Clinical Research Assistant Internship
- MD/PHD Research Summer Programs
Dentistry
Pharmacy
To find other opportunities, use one of the following search engines:
Getting InVOLved
While there are some great experiences you can get off-campus, there are some neat ways to get experience on campus too! Check out these organizations and more in VOLink and get connected today:
Student Organizations
- Academy of Student Pharmacists
- Narrative Medicine Club
- Minority Association of Pre-Health Students
- American Medical Student Association
- Pre-Physician Assistant Student Association (PASA)
- Undergraduate Nutrition Student Association
- Student Dental Association
- Clinic Vols
- Student Nurses Association
- Future Physical Therapists Service Association
- Remote Area Medical
- Health Occupations Students of America
- VOLS 2 VOLS Peer Health Educators
- Kinesiology Student Association
- Global Medical Training
- Pre-Optometry Club
The Center for Career Development also partners with the Pre-Health Advising Office in the College of Arts & Sciences. Learn more about Pre-Health Advising.
If you would like more assistance with navigating your career path in healthcare, call the Center for Career Development at 865-974-5435 to meet with your career coach.