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Health Professions Resource Committee

The Health Professions Resource Committee consists of faculty and staff from the departments of Animal Science, Biological Sciences, Chemistry & Biochemistry, Food Science and Nutrition, Mathematics, Kinesiology, Physics, Health and Counseling Services, Career Services, the College of Science and Mathematics Advising Office/Health Professions Advising Center.

The Health Professions Resource Committee assists students, regardless of their major, in all phases of their preparation. Faculty and staff members of the committee help students explore health career options, create an appropriate educational plan and complete the necessary tasks for admission to post-baccalaureate training in the health professions.

Specific areas of assistance provided by members of the committee include:

  • guidance with choosing appropriate coursework
  • guidance on research and applied experiences
  • advice on how to prepare for the MCAT, DAT, PCAT and other entrance exams
  • guidance and critique in writing the personal statement
  • guidance and critique with practice interviewing skills
  • a confidential letter of reference collection and mailing service

For an updated listing of committee members, visit the Health Professions Office in 53-219 or call 756-2615.

Practice MCAT

How will you do on the MCAT? Taking a practice MCAT could help you determine how you'll perform on the actual test. The Health Professions peer advisors proctor two practice MCAT exams during the academic year.

The Cost is $40.00 paid to the State Cashier in Building 01 (Administration), Room 131E. Fee covers cost of Association of American Medical Colleges practice exam.

Location: Provided during registration

For more information, please stop by the Health Professions Advising Office, Building 53 (Science North), Room 219.

For actual MCAT test dates, please go to the official MCAT website.

Practice Interview Program

The Health Professions Resource Committee offers the Health Profession Interview Program Fall, Winter and Spring quarters. Interviews are usually conducted by 2-3 members of the Health Professions Resource Committee. The setting is semi-formal and students are encouraged to dress and present themselves as they would at a real interview. Interviews and the discussion that follows take approximately one hour. Students may also meet with a member of the committee after the interview for further advising.

In order to participate in the interview, students must be applying in the current cycle or upcoming year, and must present the following information to the Health Professions office prior to scheduling their practice interview:

  • a personal statement (draft form is acceptable but not more than two pages long)
  • copies of unofficial transcripts from all schools attended other than Cal Poly
  • a resume or a copy of health profession school application

Students who do not have these materials ready will not be allowed to schedule an interview.

Another helpful way to learn how well you interview is to be videotaped in a practice interview.

Students who want to schedule an interview need to identify themselves to the Health Professions Office in advance. Check with the Health Professions Advising Center in 53-219 for more information.

Letter of Reference Collection Service

The Health Professions Resource Committee offers a confidential letter of reference collection service for sending letters of reference to health professions schools. Stop by the Health Professions office in Bldg. 53 (Science North), Rm. 219 to start the process.

How the Centralized Letter of Collection Service Works:

  • You determine if the Cal Poly Letter of Reference Collection Service is the best choice for your health profession. A health profession advisor can help you decide this.
  • If you choose to use the service, you will be given blank Letter of Reference evaluation forms that should be given to your letter writers.
  • The author of the reference will complete the evaluation form and write a letter on letterhead stationary and return both forms directly to the Health Professions Office in Bldg. 53, Room 219.
  • A maximum of 4 letters will be accepted for your file. (Some exceptions may apply. See an advisor if requesting to add more than 4 letters).
  • At the appropriate time to send letters of reference to the health professions schools, you notify the Health Professions office in writing (email or fax accepted).
  • All letters in your file will be duplicated and forwarded as a packet to the professional schools. An informative cover letter will be included with each packet of letters.
  • The fee for the electronic reference collection service (Virtual Evals) is $10.00 per application cycle year. For Health Professions schools that are NOT on Virtual Evals, the fee is $2.00 per school which covers the duplication and mailing costs.
  • Letter packets will not be transmitted/mailed unless payment has been made at the State Cashier and the receipt is on file in the Health Professions (CSM Advising) Office.

Who is Eligible for the Letter Collection Service?

All Cal Poly students who are regularly enrolled and paying registration fees. Alumni who have paid fees are also eligible.

Which Letters Are Sent?

You may not select which letters are sent in your packet. All letters that are submitted to your file will be sent as part of your packet to the professional schools. A maximum of four letters will be accepted for your file.

NOTE: If you are applying to both Allopathic and Osteopathic Medical schools, you will be required to open two separate files and collect two sets of letters which are directed to each file separately. However, the same letters can be used for both files.

Can Letters Be Used For Other Purposes?

Letters collected by the Health Professions Resource Committee may also be used for the following: scholarships and health profession post-baccalaureate programs.

How Do We Know To Mail Your Letters?

PUT IT IN WRITING! At the appropriate time, you request that your letter packet be sent to the health professions schools by notifying the Health Professions office. Different health professions may make requests for letters at varying times in the application process. Do not request to have letters sent until you are certain the application service or schools are expecting them. If you are unclear about when to send your letter packet, check with your health professions advisor or review your application instructions.

For additional information or to sign up for this service, contact the Health Professions Office Bldg. 53 (Science North), Rm. 219 Phone: (805) 756-2615 Fax: (805) 756-2860.

How Do I Sign Up For The Letter Collection Service?

Stop by the Health Professions office in Bldg. 53 (Science North), Rm. 219 to start the process.

Health Related Coursework

Cal Poly offers health professions related courses you may want to consider.

  • SCM 101 Intro to the Health Professions
    This course explores various health professions careers and emphasizes planning and developing an individual pre-health plan, including academic course selection, obtaining appropriate experiences and activities, and review of the elements of a strong application. Special guests from various health professions will be invited for presentations. Credit/No Credit grading only. 1 unit course.
    Not offered in 2008-2009.
  • BIO 253 Orientation to the Health Professions
    This course includes observation/shadowing experience in local clinics and with mental health services. Credit/No Credit grading only. 1 unit course. (3 hours per week/10 weeks).
  • SCM 363 Health Professions Internship
    Designed specifically for pre-health students who are interested in exploring the field of Public Health. This internship provides structured experiences at the County Health Agency. 2 unit course. (6 hours per week/10 weeks) Credit/No Credit grading. Stop by the Health Professions Advising Office in Bldg. 53, Room 219 for an application.

The application deadline to apply for this internship is:

  • Fall Quarter - Aug. 1.
  • Winter Quarter - Nov. 1
  • Spring Quarter - March 1.
  • No summer internship available

Health Professions Clubs

Joining a health professions club is a great way to meet students who are on your same career path. Clubs hold regular meetings and frequently offer special activities for members, including graduate school visits, guest speakers, social activities, and more. Clubs are also a great way to coordinate study groups and get advice from your peers.

SPRING 2009 QUARTER CLUB MEETING INFORMATION

Health Professions E-Newsletter

The Health Professions Weekly E-Newsletter is for any student interested in receiving current health professions information and updates. It is one of the best ways to stay informed of related Heath Professions workshops and events. Highly recommended! To sign up, send an email to rmwestmo@calpoly.edu. Please provide your full name and email address. 

Health Profession Resources

  • Health Professions Resource Center - Is located in Building 33, Room 153 and has information on schools, entrance exams, and admission requirements. Feel free to stop by and browse through the information at your leisure.
  • Health Professions Handbook - Is available for purchase from El Corral Bookstore. (It is available in the textbook section under SCM 101.) The handbook includes useful information on the general prerequisite courses in a variety of health professions, as well as information regarding the application stage of your pre-health professions career.
  • Alumni Network Binder - New! This binder contains information on where many of our recent graduates have been accepted and it is intended to be a resource that links alumni and currently enrolled students for possible information about the alumni’s specific professional school education, the health professions application process and may provide students with the opportunity for school visits. Once you have been accepted to your health profession school, please consider contributing your information to this binder! Located in Bldg 53, Room 219.
  • Alumni Personal Statements - New! Come read through a small collection of personal statement essays from Cal Poly students who have been accepted into professional schools. This should allow you to get a feel for how to write a successful essay for your health professions school. Located in Bldg. 53, Room 219.
  • Interview Feedback Binder - This binder contains feedback from Cal Poly students who have interviewed at various health professions programs. Located in 53-219. Also, you may want to check out Student Doctor Network which also provides interview feedback for medical, dental, podiatry and other health profession schools.

Health Profession Scholarships

National Institutes of Health Undergraduate Scholarship Program for Individuals from Disadvantaged Backgrounds

Supports career development of upcoming biomedical health researchers. Offers up to $20,000 per year in financial aid for educational expenses. After graduation, recipients also "pay back" a year of service for each year of scholarship support, again through paid research training at the NIH. More information can be found at NIH Undergraduate Scholarship Program website.

National Health Service Corps

The NHSC Scholarship Program is available for health professions students interested in primary care specialties and committed to serving part or all of their career in a health profession shortage area. Students accepted into dental or medical school, nurse practitioner, physician assistant, or nurse midwifery programs are eligible to apply. Scholarship benefits include payment of full tuition and fees, including a monthly stipend. Service obligation entails one year of service for each year of support (two year minimum). More information can be found at the National Health Service Corps website.

Merck Undergraduate Science Research Scholarships

This program is intended to encourage biomedical careers for interested African American students by providing tuition support and opportunities for research experience. Awards up to $35,000.

for application information go to the UNCF Merck Science Initiative website.

Hispanic Scholarship Fund

The Hispanic Scholarship Fund was created to help Hispanic students pursue their undergraduate college careers. While this program is not geared specifically toward paying for health professions school after your undergraduate degree, it can help you keep loan costs down while you're at Cal Poly. Applications can be found on the Hispanic Scholarship Fund website.

Search for Scholarships and Financial Aid

These are just a sample of available scholarships. To search for your own scholarships, check out Fastweb.com.