Health Professions

Why Pursue Health Professions?

Healthcare practitioners are needed in the United States and throughout the world to address the needs of those suffering from illness and disease and promote health and wellness to all individuals. The Health Professions Program provides personalized advising and support services, encouraging students to be intentional and strategic toward the pursuit of a career in the health professions. Such practices help aid the development of character traits and demonstrate the compassionate heart of Christ to others enabling students to become leaders within healthcare fields, building the church and benefitting society worldwide. Ultimately, we aim to enhance your overall development and future success in a healthcare career.


Why Pursue Health Professions at Wheaton?

The Health Professions office provides an array of support services and opportunities to enhance and facilitate the students' formation of a pathway to the health profession of their choosing. You’ll get one-on-one advising, small group workshops, and events aimed to help you explore and understand our healthcare environment. We also host a mock interview evening with local alumni physicians to help you hone your interviewing skills. When it comes time to apply to health professions schools, we’ll be there to help.

What Will I Learn?

Students can declare a specific goal based on the intended future profession (Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Physical Therapy, etc.). Advising is centered upon the declared interest.

Consult the course catalog for full listing of current courses available in this field.

Careers in the Health Professions

With self-assessment and reflection, graduates consider whether they are well-suited for a health profession related to diagnosing and treating; an associated field; a rehabilitating profession; an administrative field; or an affiliated field independent but related to health care.

Among students who have studied at Wheaton College, the overall acceptance rate to medical and dental schools including first and subsequent attempts was approximately 74.8% for the 21-year period from 1993 to 2014.

For the 2017 cycle, 91% of the Wheaton graduating seniors applying to medical schools were accepted.

For the 2017 cycle, 100% of the Wheaton senior students applying to dental schools were accepted.

For the 2017 cycle, 78% of the Wheaton students who applied with a 3.4 CUM Undergraduate GPA or higher, 3.3 SCI CUM Undergraduate GPA or higher and a 28 or 504 MCAT score or higher received acceptance to at least one allopathic medical school.

The Health Professions Office is such a wonderful resource on campus. I have been so blessed by the advising I received as I prepared for nursing school. — Emma Gingrich '16, Student, Emory University, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing
The Health Professions Office has been absolutely invaluable to my pursuit of, application to, and matriculation into medical school. From collecting and compiling recommendation letters, to offering strategic interview and application advice, to putting me into contact with Wheaton alumni at several medical schools, [Wheaton faculty] have been incredibly helpful throughout this process. — Topher McCauley '16, Student, University of North Carolina School of Medicine Raleigh, North Carolina
I had the opportunity to live and work in Quito, Ecuador, and . . . was able to shadow and assist as an intern in two different medical settings. The healthcare professionals demonstrated to me what a profession of Christlike care ought to look like and confirmed for me that I feel called into healthcare. — Molly Reeves '16, Recipient of the Global Health Internship Scholarship