Health Professions Advisory Committee (HPAC)

Dr. Wayne Shew, Chair

Many students at BSC intend to pursue careers in various health professions such as: medicine M.D. or D.O.), dentistry, optometry, veterinary medicine, and graduate programs in nursing, pharmacy, public health, physician assistant, and occupational/physical therapy.

The Health Professions Advisory Committee (HPAC) consists of faculty from various academic areas of the College. The Pre-Health advisor, Dr. Wayne Shew (226-4879), is the chair of HPAC. He is available to consult with students who are interested in learning more about health-related career opportunities. His duties include assisting students with planning 4 year schedules, pre-health internship placements, and preparation of graduate/professional school applications (AMCAS, AADSAS, VCAS).

HPAC provides a composite evaluation for students who are applying to health-related graduate/professional schools. The procedure for requesting an HPAC evaluation can be found below under "Guidelines for Pre-Health Students." Other useful information and pre-health requirements are given below.

Useful web sites for pre-health students include:

Association of American Medical Colleges - Contains information on application procedures to American Medical Schools including AMCAS (American Medical College Application Service).

American Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges - Contains useful information on application procedures to Veterinary Medicine Schools.

American Dental Association - Click on Education & Careers and then on Current and Future Dental Students for information on the application process.

Vanderbilt University - Click on Academics and then on School of Nursing for information on prerequisites and application procedures to the Masters of Science (MSN) program.

UAB School of Optometry – Click on Future Students/Residents for information on the contents of the Optometry Aptitude Test (OAT) and application procedures.

American Academy of Physician Assistants - Information on what a PA does, how to become a PA, as well as what is involved in a career as a physician assistant.

American Physical Therapy Association – Click on Prospective Students for information on PT and the application process.