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Welcome to Pre-Health advising at the University of Washington Tacoma!
Are you preparing for a career in a health profession such as medicine, dentistry, or pharmacy studies? A career in health can be an incredibly rewarding profession. However, pursuing a career in health is a challenging path and one that takes a lot of planning and preparation. On this site, you can explore different health careers and find resources here at UW Tacoma that will help you as you explore and prepare for a career in health.
Q: What should I major in if I am interested in Pre-health?
A: Anything!
You can major in anything as you prepare for a career in health. Health professional schools don't consider an applicants major in the admissions process. There are, however, specific requirements that each graduate and professional school will look for, however, so research and careful planning are both important aspects of your preparation.
But simply completing a major is not enough
Choosing a career in health or health care is not one decision, but a series of decisions based on exploration, investigation, and reflection. You should continually assess your academic readiness, motivation, and skills in sciences as well as humanities and social sciences. Volunteering, job shadowing, and other forms of community service are also essential elements of your exploration of what the profession is all about, and whether it is a good match for you.
Core skills, values, knowledge and experience
Successful medical school applicants are able to demonstrate skills, knowledge, and capabilities in these 15 defined competency areas. (You can learn more about these competencies on the AAMC website.)
| Pre-Professional Competencies | Thinking and Reasoning Competencies | Science Competencies |
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Pre-Health is a process...
We define pre-health (or pre-med) as a process a student goes through if they intend to enter a health professional field. Pre-health is not a “major” or “track”. The process includes:
- Actively exploring a variety of health care professions and understanding the type of work (e.g. patient contact, type of facility) involved and how this matches your personal strengths, motivations, and preferences
- Preparing for a selected health profession, this includes both academic (e.g. course planning and major selection) and vocational endeavors (e.g. job shadowing, volunteering, research, leadership, work experience)
- Applying to the professional schools including assessing readiness to apply, selecting schools, preparing for and taking entrance exams, and preparing a compelling application
