PMD - Pre-Medical Science

This course is designed to introduce students to a Christian perspective of careers in the health care sciences. Speakers from different disciplines will briefly and informally share information about themselves, including their faith and professional experiences. Students will reflect on what they learn from each speaker and how that applies to their own journeys. Emphasis will be placed on the Christian health care professional's role as a "world-changer" by reconciling a Christian worldview with the requirements, demands, and dilemmas encountered in health professions schools and in the practice of health care. For the purposes of this course a "health care professional" is defined as a person engaged in any of the following: athletic training, chiropractic medicine, dentistry, medicine (MD allopathic, DO osteopathic, or DPM podiatric), occupational therapy, optometry, pharmacy, physical therapy, physician assisting, public health, speech pathology/audiology, or veterinary medicine. Students will use online self-assessment tools to stimulate their thinking about health career choices. Students will participate in three hours of on-the-job shadowing and reflect on the experience. In addition, each student will schedule a mock interview with the IWU Pre-Health Care Sciences Program Committee. This course is not intended for nursing majors and does not fulfill any of the General Education requirements of the institution.

This course is designed to assist students in preparing for comprehensive assessments that will measure their ability to integrate science, math, English, and other disciplines in a meaningful way. The development of critical thinking and reasoning skills will be emphasized by studying and analyzing cross-disciplinary problems such as the application of principles of physics and chemistry in the human body. This course will be helpful in preparation for national tests such as the MCAT, DAT, OAT, and GRE. Students will be expected to have completed the course requirements for their respective test, since the anticipated sequence is to take this course in the spring and then to take the test within a month or two of completion of this course.